A Dragon's soul
by Elephant Travels
Summary: Sasha Greening was the third part to the slightly less than golden trio, the other two parts made up by the infamous Weasley twins. Best friends since their first day at Hogwarts she was very much a part of the Weasley household but a lifelong, very secret, crush on one of the older siblings and tragic events threaten to change everything irrevocably. Not necessarily for the worse!
1. Chapter 1

Sasha groaned as her alarm rang shrilly through the silence of the room, waking her from her sleep. Sitting up groggily she pushes off her covers and pads across the corridor to the bathroom, sighing as she surveys the mess around her. It had been like this for three years now. Ever since her father had been killed in an accident on his way home from work. Her mother just wasn't coping very well at all, she barely functioned anymore and the house was a mess, it made Sasha's gut clench uncomfortably as she thought about how she was glad she spent most of the year away at school. Guilt filled her as she realised that she was happy that she was leaving for the Burrow only two weeks into the summer holidays and tears welled in her eyes as she saw her mothers dishevelled form shuffle past her and down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Mum…" she starts stepping out of the bathroom, her toothbrush in her hand and her mother stops and turns to her, a small smile on her face as she tries to cover her pain.

"I'm fine Sash, dad would want you to go and have fun… he loved that you were so special… he would be so… so proud of you," she stutters and Sasha feels the tears that have been gathering in her eyes begin to fall as her mother rushes forwards to embrace her.

It is a couple of hours later as she packs her bags and prepare to travel through the Floo network to the Burrow that she begins to think about the last time she was there, the last time she saw the family that had become like an extended version of my own. The last time she saw Charlie, even the thought of his name still sent a flush to her cheeks and set butterflies to work in her stomach. She had long ago dismissed the feelings towards her best friends' older brother, he would never be interested in her, she was a prankster and a tomboy, best friends with the infamous Weasley twins, one of the only ones that could tell them apart. She had been thirteen when she last saw him, it was the year after he had graduated and she had been in the middle of telling him how much she had missed him that year at Hogwarts and about to ask him to join a game of Quidditch when the news had arrived. Molly Weasley had come rushing over the garden towards them, her face pale and grim and a letter gripped tightly in her hand.

"What is it mum what's wrong?" Charlie had asked but she had merely shaken her head and looked down at Sasha and the girls heart had sunk, her small hand had automatically reached for Charlie's and he had taken it in his own calloused one without hesitation and normally where she would have felt tingles and excitement at this little act of kindness, that day she could feel nothing but the growing numbness in her. A numbness, she mused that hadn't entirely disappeared yet and it had been three years.

Sighing again she stand up and examines herself in the mirror. Same as always, nothing special, long, straight, white blonde hair, not unlike Malfoy's she thinks for the millionth time with a shudder, bright green eyes, her favourite feature, Harry always says it makes him feel like they're related, like she's a big sister. They always used to shine but in the last few years they have been dull and empty she realises. Not that anyone ever noticed, she hid it very well.

"Shasha, are you ready, they'll be expecting you and the last thing I need is Fred and George bursting in here again," her mothers calls and so taking one last look around, she grabs her trunk and her owl, makes sure her wand is in her pocket, despite the fact that she couldn't use outside of school for another year and headed for the living room.

"Goodbye mum, I'll… I'll owl to let you know I'm okay," she says hugging her mother again, guilt and relief fighting for dominance within her and making her feel queasy.

"You do that sweetie and have fun… remember life's… life's short," she breaks off again as her voice became choked with emotion and Sasha tried to smile or respond but found herself unable to do anything other than move herself backwards into the fireplace and shouting for the Burrow, the image of her broken mother haunting her as it always did when she left.

"Sash, at last," Fred exclaims as she steps out of the flames and brushes the soot from her jeans.

"We thought you'd never get here," George adds as he scoops her up in a bear hug.

"Hi Guys," she mutters in response smiling widely as they begin bickering over who will take her bags upstairs and then running off together and leaving her standing in the kitchen. For a second she is silent, gazing around at the empty room, enjoying the seconds of silence that were rare here. She was pleased to be back, she had missed it terribly, missed the family terribly. Of course she had seen the twins and Ron and Ginny along with Harry and Hermione at school and they all kept her up to date on what Bill, Percy and Charlie were up to. But there was the sadness too, the fact that it was here where she had received the news, the fact that the guilt she felt everyday nearly overwhelmed her at moments. Guilt that came from knowing that a thirteen year old version of her was so concentrated on Charlie Weasley, that she had rushed straight off that summer to be at the Burrow, barely even saying goodbye to her parents and she had been busy flirting, or trying to flirt with Charlie when her father was dying. It was this guilt that had kept her away for three years, that had stopped her replying to Bill and especially Charlie's owls, despite knowing how worried they were about her, she was family to them after all. That was a thought that still managed to make her gut clench again, Charlie would never see her as anything other than a kid, a little sister, oh why did life have to be so complicated.

"Oh sweetheart, we've missed you so much," Mrs Weasley's voice breaks her from her self pitying musings and she plasters her, by now well practised, smile across her face as she is enveloped in a hug by the Weasley matriarch.

"I've missed you too," I say quietly, and for a moment she just examines me and I feel more seen than I had in along time before the twins come hurtling back into the room, this time accompanied by Ron, Hermione and Harry who also throw themselves at the sixteen year old. It was funny how she had worried so much about fitting in at Hogwarts when she had first got her letter and here she was surrounded by people who considered her family, how she considered family too. Hermione looked up to her she knew that, they were the same she supposed, Hermione and her. Both only children, both muggleborns, both smart and more interested in books and learning than looks. Both friends with two impossible trouble makers and both pining after a Weasley boy, she knew Hermione harboured a secret crush on Ron. Harry on the other hand saw her as a big sister, she never really understood why, other than their shared eye colour, but she was more than happy to fill the role and was fiercely protective over him, over all of them.

"There's my little troublemaker," a voice chuckles from behind her and she spins to see Bill standing in the doorway leaning casually against the frame as he watches the reunion, although she can see the concern in his eyes as well as the amusement. He had always been able to read her the best, he and Charlie, better even than the twins. She could hide things from everyone in her life except those two, they always knew.

"Bill," she whispers, tears already shinning in her eyes as she launches herself at him, it wasn't until this moment that she realised just how much she had missed them and she is barely able to keep her emotions in check.

"Come on trouble lets go have a chat at our tree," he smiles still holding her tightly and motioning to the others who are relieved to see her showing some kind of emotion. The twins had of course noticed that she had changed and had become increasingly worried about her lack of grieving, her complete lack of any kind of emotion over the last three years, they all had.

"Is that my little Dragon tamer, what did you do to her Bill?" the voice is loud and cheerful, deep and impossibly masculine and yet caring and gentle too and the second she hears the first syllable her heart stops and she freezes completely. Staring up in complete shock she is unable to believe for a second that he is real. Charlie Weasley, standing under their tree, looking more handsome than ever the concern for her evident in his every feature as he took her in.

"Is it… are you… Charlie," she is unable to say anything else as three years worth of locking everything away is stripped from her and the tears finally come unbidden, her legs giving way beneath her and her entire body shaking with the force of her sobs. Charlie is quick to leap forward and gather her to him. Holding her tightly against his chest and stroking her hair as he whispers words of comfort to her. Bill sitting close beside them a knowing look on his face as he sees the way Charlie takes in the changes to their friend. He had of course known for years how Sasha felt for his younger brother and how oblivious Charlie was despite how obviously perfect he knew they would eventually be for one another. Now that she was sixteen though she was becoming a woman and soon Charlie would begin questioning his own feelings. Bill had no doubt in his mind that the two of them belonged together but he was worried because they were both so good at denying themselves what was best for them.

"It's going to be okay Sash, I promise it will," Charlie is whispering to her now and she is burrowing even further into his chest, looking smaller and more frail than they had ever seen her and it broke both the men's hearts.

They sit for hours in the warm sunlight, not speaking just being there for her. They hadn't seen her for three years and both felt guilty that they hadn't tried harder to see her. The truth was they knew she wasn't okay, knew that if she was she would have written to them, the twins of course had told them of their concerns and they knew then it was serious but their own lives stopped them from doing anything. Bill had been busy in Egypt and Charlie in Romania, they hadn't come home to see her when she had needed them and it was something that ate away at them, they claimed she was family and yet… if it had been Ginny would they have left her. No! Never! Why then? Because she had always been so strong. She had never needed help because she was the one giving it, they had fallen at the first hurdle when it came to being friends, family with her and it weighed heavily on both of their shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles eventually, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she looks up at them through puffy, tear swollen eyes.

"You have nothing to apologise for titch," Bill smiles sadly, reaching over to ruffle her hair slightly and she smiles in return.

"So you ready for your first Quidditch World cup?" Charlie asks sensing that she needed a change in subject and she smiles as he feels the tension leave her body slightly.

"I can't wait," she says quietly and for the first time in a long time she felt like she meant it and the sincerity in her voice must have shown as they both smiled a little more easily too.

"Well we should probably get some rest then, you've got to be up early to get there and it's getting late," Bill says and she grimaces slightly making them laugh slightly.

"Hang on a minute why do you two not have to be up?" she asks with a little pout that does strange things to Charlie's insides, which he disguises quickly by jumping up and pulling her to her feet too, leaving Bill to trail behind the pair.

"Because my little friend we can apparate there and you can't," he smirks and she sighs heavily, mumbling about stupid Wizarding laws.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, Okay so I know that I'm doing it again, its a habit I guess! Get writers block, start a new story. Anyway let me know what you think, whether you're enjoying it anything I should change etc. The other Harry Potter stories I've written are old and need a lot of work and so my next task will be rewriting them as they are very teenage, angsty mary sueish, so hopefully this one is slightly less of those things. Anyway like I said all reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading and liking it means a lot.**

The following morning dawned bright and far too early but as the various members of the household who were not able to apparate appeared around the breakfast table they were all pleased to see Sasha looking more like her old self and this put an extra spring in all of their steps as they set off on their trek through the village.

"How am I this knackered already, we've only been walking for half an hour?" Sasha complains as she trudges along between the twins and everybody laughs although she knows that most of them are agreeing with her.

"Maybe it's because you've been slacking in your Quidditch training the last couple of years," George comments and the others tense automatically, "sorry Sash, I wasn't thinking, I…" he starts but she cuts him off with a small smile.

"It's fine… really, you're right I have been neglecting things recently and I'm sorry," she says quietly before jumping slightly in surprise as Harry grabs her hand and holds onto it firmly.

"It's understandable Sash, no-one blames you," he says and she smiles at him knowing that he felt guilty for the loss of the game against Hufflepuff last year when he had fallen off his broom but the truth was if she had been playing properly, if she had been a better chaser, had kept her training up then they could still have won.

"And it's not your fault either," she whispers to him squeezing his hand and he returns her smile, they shared loss now too and he was trying to comfort her when she should be the one doing the comforting.

They walked on in silence for a while and Sasha took the opportunity to think about a few things. Since her fathers death she had stopped living, she hadn't really realised it until now and it made her cringe internally, all this time she had been silently berating her mother, been angry at her for refusing to cope and she had been doing the same thing. She had stopped being the person she was, stopped pranking as much, stopped caring about Quidditch and stopped being the fun loving, adventure seeking girl she had been. Of course she had tried to pretend it was her growing up but she could see now, somehow in one afternoon back with the Weasley's, back with Charlie and Bill, without them even really saying anything they had shown her the truth and she was ashamed of herself. Vowing to be the person she was, to make her father proud, wherever he was.

"Arthur, over here old chap," a voice called and the group look up to see a friendly looking wizard appearing a teenager behind him who is hidden by the sun for the moment.

"Amos, how are you?" Mr Weasley greets him in a friendly way and as he steps forward the boy is revealed.

"Cedric," Sasha exclaims rushing forward to hug her friend and Cedric returns it quickly smiling down in slight shock at the way the girl who had become more and more distant over the last three years seemed to be finally getting some of her spark back.

"Of course I said the Ced, that'll be one to tell your grandkids, besting Harry Potter at Quidditch," Cedric's father is boasting and Sasha looks around at the uncomfortable expressions on Cedric's face, the furious glares of the twins and guilty one of Harry's and then back at the oblivious one on Mr Diggory's before deciding to jump in.

"It was actually my fault sir, I was playing appallingly throughout last season and if I hadn't have been we would have won that game despite the dementor attack and Harry's accident," she smiles sweetly and they all stand in shocked silence for a second before Mr Diggory and Mr Weasley start bustling around something they called a port key.

"I don't know what you did but thank you, I thought we'd lost her for good for a while there," Cedric says quietly to the twins as they get ready to grab the old can.

"Wasn't us mate, although I think it may have something to do with a certain big brother of ours, or maybe two of them," Fred replies and Cedric offers them a hand which they each shake begrudgingly after a moment.

"Still your family though so thanks, I know she's your best mate and you've been worried about her but well, she has a lot of friends who have been worried, I'm just glad she seems more herself," he smiles and both twins look a little shocked before shaking themselves from their astonishment as the aforementioned girl yells at them to hurry up and with a smile all three boys make their way to her.

The journey is quick and, for want of a better word, nauseating ending with a loud thump and a groan from several members of the group.

"Get off me you great lumps," Sasha moans at both twins, who seem to have found themselves on top of her.

"Here," a voice filled with mirth says as a hand appears before her and a laughing Cedric helps her up.

"Remind me to never travel by port key again, that was horrific," she moans as they move towards a strange looking wizard who seemed to be collecting all sorts of odds and ends trying her best to ignore the laughing of those behind her as she continues to moan about traveling by port key.

All other thoughts are soon stripped from her mind however as she gasps in shock at the sight before her.

"Oh my word," Hermione murmurs from beside her and Harry mumbles something similar from her other side, instinctively she grabs both of their hands and begins to move forwards following the Weasley's through the campground. The three, brought up in the muggle world, trailing behind them staring around in awe, their hands still all gripping one another. This was the most alive Sasha had felt in years and tears were shining in her eyes again by the time they reached their own tents and see the three older Weasley children there already. Hermione and Harry run off with Ron and Ginny to get some water and Sasha immediately rushes towards Charlie and Bill.

"Have you seen it?" she yells in excitement when she reaches them and their hearts fill with joy to see her looking genuinely happy again. They would be lying if they said they hadn't sat up long into the night last night in Bill's room talking about how worried they were for her, how… broken she had looked.

"Seen what princess?" Charlie laughs causing her to blush and Bill to smirk,

"Using a lot of pet names lately aren't you?" he whispers to his brother who shoots him a murderous look before turning his attention back to Sasha who was practically bouncing on her feet and had not noticed their little exchange.

"There's so much magic here, it's amazing, there were tents with chimneys and gardens and four leaf clovers growing in massive patches and people doing magic everywhere its so… so… fucking amazing," she yells throwing her hand over her mouth as the profanity slips out and several adults look up causing the two Weasley's to roar with laughter.

"You my little friend have been spending far too much time with the twins," Bill says with a twinkle as he ruffles her hair before striding off to help his father and leaving her with Charlie.

"It's good to see you happy princess," he smiles causing her to blush again and he couldn't for the life of him work out why he couldn't seem to stop using these pet names for her. He knew he'd always been fond of her, protective over her, she had immediately slotted into his life and the lives of his family but now… she was so beautiful, and fragile and… no. She was sixteen and he was twenty one. He lived in Romania and she was still at Hogwarts. She was family, best friends with his brothers, he was most definitely not allowed to think of her like that.

"I guess I just realised that I was letting him down if I stopped living, I was being selfish, I was being a hypocrite," she answers quietly and he knows instinctively that she hasn't spoken to anyone else about this. Their conversations had always been… special.

"Come on," he says abruptly standing up and pulling her with him, "lets go for a walk," he clarifies and so she grips his hand a little more tightly and they head off.

For a while they walk in silence, her hand periodically tightening around his as she sees something new and exciting and her joy at seeing all of this only serves to increase his own happiness.

"What made you decide to change?" he asks after a while, regretting the question nearly immediately as she sighs heavily and stops walking near a secluded patch of woodland where they sit on a go side by side.

"I was so angry," she says at last, not looking at him but instead staring out at the crowds moving around in the distance. "I was angry at him for leaving me, I was mad at you, all of you for still being happy and together, I was angry at my mum for not coping at all and most of all,' she breaks off for a moment sighing and hanging her head a little in shame, too scared to look at him although she could feel he had shifted closer to her as she had been speaking. "Most of all I was angry at myself for being weak, for shutting down and not being strong like Harry, I hate that I've let you all down," she finishes quietly and he sighs this time before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him still.

"You haven't let us down at all Sash, you could never, we love you, and you are strong the strongest," he tries but she shakes her head at him.

"I shut down Charlie, I hated my mum for not coping and all the time I was doing exactly the same as her, Harry never stopped fighting," she mutters and he very nearly growls as he pulls her round to face him.

"Harry was a baby when he lost his parents Sash, it's not the same," he starts and she immediately moves to interrupt him,

"But," his answering growl stops her short and she merely states wide eyed at him.

"No one is denying how horrible Harry's life has been and that he has had to live through horrific hardships but it is not the same Sash, you grew up knowing and loving your father and then had him taken away from you and watched your mother fall apart, no one blames you for struggling, you don't have to be the strongest person in the room all the time Sash, you can let us take some of the burden sometimes too! Do you really think that Harry would have made it through the last three years of school with Ron or Hermione, without you and before you say anything I know all about it, as if anyone else would have worked out how to get past the basilisk or the whomping willow. I know you Sash never forget that," he is breathing heavily when he finishes his impassioned speech and a slight blush is tinting his cheeks as he finally lets go of her, his eyes unable to leave her face. Sasha's own heart is beating so hard that she is not entirely sure she won't be sick any minute as his words echo in her head. Could he possibly? I mean she had been crushing on him for years but… could he? It was impossible, he saw her as a little sister and was just looking out for her.

"Thank you," she manages to squeak out eventually and it seems to break the spell as he finally shifts his gaze and lets out a ragged laugh before standing and holding out his hand to her.

"Come on then titch, we'll be late for dinner and you are entirely too skinny these days," he smiles, adopting Bill's nickname for her to try and put her off realising just how deeply he was beginning to realise his feelings for her went. Sasha's heart sunk as she heard this and she had to fight not to let her smile slip and show him how much she wanted him to love her but it wasn't to be.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time evening came and the group approached the stadium Sasha's earlier feelings were forgotten in her excitement and despite her age she felt like a small child as she walked between Charlie and Bill gripping their hands tightly and shouting and exclaiming over everything. The two eldest Weasley's exchange glances over the top of her head and smile at her excitement letting it wash over them as their own smiles grew more wide.

"It's huge," Sasha pants as they continue to climb and her apparent unfitness is once again highlighted much to her chagrin as the twins begin to mock her for it until Charlie grabs her and throws her over his shoulder and march up the last few flights with her kicking and hitting him all the way, although maybe not as hard as would have if it was one of the twins that had done it.

"There," Charlie announces as he puts her down and she tries hard to look angry but her glare is somewhat diminished by the blush that stained her cheeks not that he noticed because he was too busy trying to calm his own rapidly beating heart.

"Sash," quick you're between us, the twins yell dragging her forwards and to a seat between them and Charlie is free to make his way to a seat behind her with Bill, pleased to have the chance to calm down and yet somehow lost with her sudden departure.

"Careful little brother the others are going to notice," Bill whispers and Charlie swings to stare at him feeling his cheeks heat up immediately.

"What are you talking about?" he asks trying his best to sound nonchalant and failing miserably at it,

"She's grown up a lot since we last saw her hasn't she? Turned into a beautiful woman," Bill pushes and Charlie's answering hiss makes him smile even wider.

"She's a kid Bill, she's like our little sister," he says knowing that he is fooling neither of them.

"She's not a kid anymore though, thats the point, and you like her," Bill insists but Charlie merely shakes his head.

"I'm five years older than her Bill, she just sees me like a big brother, a friend, nothing more, besides she's still at school and I'm in Romania," he sighs and Bill shakes his own head.

"I think that you know she sees you as far more than that mate and she matches you completely," he tries but before he can say anything else a sudden shift in atmosphere catches their attention as the row of younger Weasley's and friends in front of them tense completely before standing slowly and facing the back of the VIP box they were all sitting in.

Bill and Charlie turned too, in their chairs and saw what the commotion was immediately, the Malfoy family had just entered and spotted the Weasley's.

"Good lord Arthur, what did you have to sell to get these tickets surely you're house isn't worth this much?" Lucius' voice was cold and condescending as he addresses Mr Weasley and the rage that suddenly boils in her veins is consuming. Since her father had died Mr Weasley was the only father figure she had left and she would be damned if someone like Malfoy would upset him.

"How dare you, you…" Sasha has leapt forward and is standing in front of the Weasley's her entire body shaking with the rage that she felt and Charlie couldn't help but feel proud of her loyalty to his family, he felt he had done little in recent years to warrant such loyalty from her.

"Ah the little Mud… muggleborn," Lucius sneers, checking himself as he remembers the minister there listening to the conversation.

"Why you…" Ron can barely speak his rage is so consuming and glancing out of the corner of his eye Bill can see that both he and Harry have their wands out and the twins had also jumped towards Sasha whilst Charlie seemed frozen in place. Before anything else can happen though Lucius had moved on and it was now Draco that faced Sasha and the twins.

"Getting your mudblood whore to fight your battles Weasley's?" Draco sneers at the twins in a whisper once he has checked that he won't be overheard and she laughs.

"Oh ferret you may think you're protected here while daddy's around but just you wait, you think Hermione hits hard, you wait till you're on the receiving end of my fist you little shit," he hisses in a voice so cold those around her barely recognise it. It does the trick though and after a second Draco scuttles off after his father whilst Bill turns to Harry and Ron and helps Hermione to calm them down as Ginny does the same with the twins. Finally, Charlie regains the ability to move and steps towards where Sasha is still standing, shaking and pale faced but with a grim smile on her face and that old glint back in her eye.

"Hey, Sash, you okay," he whispers as he steps in front of her and she looks up after a moment and smiles more brightly at him nodding her head.

"That's the first time in years I've really stood up for myself or you lot when I should have done," she replies and he can't resist tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear before she has a chance to, relishing the way she leaned into his touch ever so slightly before he releases her.

"I'm proud of you princess," he murmurs and she is about to say something when a shout catches their attention.

"It's starting, it's starting," and just like that the spell is broken and her eyes are swinging back round to the pitch as she virtually flies over the seats to her place between the twins and he makes his way back to his one behind her and next to Bill, ignoring the smirk from said brother as he sits down.

"Shut up," he says and Bill just laughs before the mascots begin appearing and he vaguely hears an 'uh oh' before his mind seems to be wiped blank for a while.

Sasha is watching mesmerised as they mascots begin appearing, until the Veela appear and the boys and men around her begin acting very strangely. They all have these fascinated looks on their faces, Harry and Ron standing and trying to climb out of the box altogether. Next to Sasha the twins seem to be undressing and Sasha is in hysterics until she turns around and sees Charlie preening himself and pulling the selves of his shirt up and doesn't even notice her, in fact when she taps his knee he just brushes her away as if she is a nuisance and the hurt that flashes through her like fire is still evident on her face when the Veela leave the pitch a moment later and he comes back to his senses.

"Sash…" he begins but she simply shakes her head, blinking her tears away and plastering her fake smile back across her face.

"Don't worry about it," she mutters as she turns back to watch the match.

It is an incredible Quidditch match and although they are all fixed to it, both Charlie and Sasha have other thoughts on their minds. He can't seem to enjoy it as much as he should because all he could see was the hurt in her face as the Veela left the pitch at the beginning of the whole thing, hurt that he caused. Sasha on the other hand, despite knowing what the Veela were and how they affected men was still using this to cement in her mind that he could never be interested in someone as plain as her and the hurt that this caused sent her heart plummeting so far that she found it hard to enjoy the wonders of the match.

Ireland won far too quickly and the twins were overjoyed that they had won the impossible bet that Ireland would win but Krum would capture the snitch. Their joy quickly turning to fury when they realise they have been cheated and Sasha is angry for them too, so much so that she forgets about anything else that has gone on and spends the entire walk back and dinner around the campfire plotting revenge with Fred and George. By the time she falls into her bunk in the girls tent Sasha is exhausted and falls quickly into a deep dreamless sleep.

She is shaken awake sometime later and sits bolt upright as screams of terror and panic reverberate around her skull.

"What's going on?" she asks on red alert,

"We have to go, now, death eaters," Hermione cries and with that she is moving. There is no time to dress properly so she finds herself, wand in hand in bare feet with nothing but shorts and a t shirt on, barely feeling the cold as she grabs hold of Ginny and Hermione and rushes out into the masses of panicking people.

"Ginny," thats Fred's voice, she'd know it anywhere, Sasha turns and sprints towards the voice practically throwing Ginny into George's arms and Hermione into Fred's.

"Look after them," she yells and it is testament to the seriousness of the situation that neither say anything about what she is wearing or about her telling them what to do. "Where are the others?" she asks frantically now and they both look at her in grim determination.

"Harry and Ron are with Charlie and Dad, Percy and Bill have gone with the other ministry members to work out what's going on," Fred says,

"We have to get out of here, now," George adds and they all begin to run towards the forest. Somewhere along the way Sasha gets lost in the crowd, Fred and George were holding tightly to Ginny and Hermione but Sasha slips behind and by the time they get into the tree line and find Charlie and their dad along with Ron she is nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Harry?" both Ginny and Hermione ask at once and one look at their faces tells them all they need to know.

"We're going to find them now," Arthur says, pushing Ron towards the twins and the girls, "look after them," he says to the two eldest and they nod gravely.

"Where's Sasha?" Charlie asks with a false calm in his voice as he looks at his brothers who shake their heads sadly at him.

"We lost her in the crowd," Fred says quietly, his hand still wrapped tightly around his little sisters, pulling her closer to him as he feel her begin to shake.

"Charlie we…" George starts but he is interrupted before he can finish,

"Get them to safety, I'll find her," Charlie says gruffly before rushing off in the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Sasha is still running but she is suddenly somehow away from the others and then the crowds thin out and she is still running but no one is around the only sound now was her own laboured breathing and hurried footsteps which falter as with a cry her bare feet step on something sharp sending her to the ground. Her leg was twisted at an ugly angle and her feet bleeding and sore as fear pumped freely through her system. She had never been this afraid then again, she had never been this alone before. Every time something bad had happened in her past she hadn't been able to be afraid because she had been focused on keeping those around her safe. It was easy to lock away fear when your entire being is focused on the safety of those with you, especially when they were younger and looked upon you as a sister but now? Now she was alone and injured and there was something or someone moving towards her through the darkness.

With a shaking hand she lifts her wand and mutters lumos, she'd be damned if she would let someone attack her in the darkness without seeing them first. She regrets her move almost instantly as she sees the figure step towards her. The unmistakable mask of a death eater moved slowly towards her as she shuffled hopelessly backwards, unable to stand.

"Mudblood," the voice snarls and the the wand moves and she moves hers too only she's not quick enough to block the spell and is just about able to register the 'crucio' that is shouted before the pain begins and then the only thing she is aware of is her own screaming. The feeling as though her skin was being stripped from her bones. Pain unlike anything she had ever felt ripped through her until she could no longer hold on to consciousness.

Ploughing through the forest calling her name Charlie is beginning to give up hope when he hears a scream, a scream that makes his blood run cold because he recognises it as hers instantly and before he can even register what he is doing he is running towards the sound as quickly as possible. By the time he crashes through into the clearing his father is there, standing over a death eater who he is rapidly tying with rope that was appearing from his wand. He freezes his wand flying up as Charlie comes flying towards them.

"See to Sasha," is all his father says and a strangled groan escapes him as he falls to his knees beside her.

"Oh no, no, Sash, princess, please wake up love," his voice is pleading and choked with emotion but he is unable to do anything other than stroke the hair back from her clammy forehead and whisper for to wake up.

"Here let me look," Arthur says when he has finished with the death eater he examines her quickly and then lets out a sigh of relief.

"She'll be okay Charlie, she's got a sprained ankle and some bad cuts and grazes to her feet but they can be healed quickly," he says hurriedly,

"But she's… why won't she wake?" Charlie manages, he had rarely felt this hopeless and desperate and it was not a feeling he relished, in fact he was rapidly discovering he hated it.

"Crutiatus I think, it's knocked her out and she'll have a nasty headache when she comes too but I don't think she'll suffer any lasting damage, come on, get her back to the tents, I'll find the others and meet you back there," and with a nod Charlie gathers her to him gently and begins to walk quickly back to the campsite.

Despite the fact that she was unconscious he never stopped speaking and as they cleared the tree line he pulled her head further into his chest to shield her from seeing the damage done to the tents and land around. Shuddering he tightens his grip on her as he sees the dark mark looming over the entire field. He knew all too well what could have happened if his father hadn't shown up when he did tonight, Sasha was a prime target for death eaters and the like, her and Hermione more than most, they were muggleborn, powerful, clever and close the Harry Potter. He fought the urge to run away with her right now to keep her hidden and safe. The only reason he didn't he told himself was because she would kill him if he tried. Instead he carried her into the boys tent and lays her on his bed. gathering up one of his t shirts and using a quick augmente to soak it so that he could use it to cool her head and try to wake her.

"Why did you run off on your own Sash, you terrified me?" he whispers to her a few moments later as he sits by her.

"I didn't mean to," came a croaked response and he starts violently before pulling her into his chest and holding her tightly as cries.

"You'll be the death of me princess," he murmurs into her hair and she giggle softly as he finally moves away a little, his hands cupping her face and his eyes locking with hers.

"I was so scared Charlie," she admits finally and he sighs titling his head until their foreheads are touching and their breath mingling.

"I promise I'll never let anything hurt you again Sash," he whispers and her breath catches in her throat. Their lips mere millimetres apart now, was he going to finally kiss her? Could he really… a crash outside has her scurrying backwards as Charlie spins and stands blocking her from view, his wand outstretched.

"Where is she?" Fred and George shout simultaneously as they barge into the tent followed by the others and Charlie finally steps aside letting the madness descend.

Fred and George feel so guilty about letting her fall behind that they haven't let her out of their sight since they got back and Bill had been on hand to heal her leg and feet. It was also Bill who had held her when she woke gasping from her nightmare. Charlie was there of course but keeping his distance. He couldn't believe he had nearly taken advantage of her like that, he was about to kiss her, she was so lost and vulnerable and instead of taking care of her he was letting his stupid hormones take over.

When morning comes it is solemn and overcast as the group set off slowly towards the port key and home.

"Let me carry you titch, you should be keeping your weight off you leg even if I have healed it," Bill says gently to her as she struggles on beside him but she shakes her head sulkily.

"No, I… I'll be fine, honestly," she says through gritted teeth and he merely sighs and throws a glance at Charlie before moving off slightly to walk with the twins so that Charlie could try to convince her.

"Sash," he begins quietly but she shakes her head before he can say anything else,  
"No Charlie, please, I can't be weak anymore," she sighs and internally winces at the tremor in her voice as she says it.

"What are you talking about princess?" he asks in concern, halting completely and pulling her to a stop too, cursing himself slightly for the way he was still unable to stop using that particular pet name when it came to her.

"I was supposed to protect the others last night, I was supposed to be strong and I failed, I was pathetic and weak and I froze, that's never happened before," she whispers trying to turn away from him as she feels tears prickling in her eyes, gasping as she is pulled suddenly into his chest, his arms wound tightly and protectively around her.

"You have done nothing but be brave and strong princess, if anyone failed last night it was me. I wasn't there to protect you, any of you," he says tightly and she looks up in surprise.

"You saved me," she reminds him but he sighs heavily at this hanging his head and letting his grip on her drop suddenly as he takes a step back, leaving her reeling slightly in his absence.

"I have nothing other than risk getting you killed," he says brokenly and she starts forward in confusion reaching for his arm, barely aware of the way the others have stopped a small distance off, waiting for them. In fact neither of the two clueless people had any idea that the rest of the family knew exactly how they felt for each other and were becoming just as frustrated as the two of them at their refusal to admit it to each other. Of course the twins had know since their first year that Sasha was enamoured with their older brother and by the first summer holidays the rest of the family knew too although she thought she hid it well, the only one who had never figured it out was Charlie. It was actually one of those small clues as to just how much the twins valued her that they never mentioned it or teased her about it as indeed Ron had questioned them about around their second year. He had asked them why, when the twins got great pleasure out of torturing everyone around them when it comes to information like that, not her though. The twins had glanced at each other and then back at their younger brother, 'she's different,' and that was it. She had no idea of course that their friendship ran quite that deep, I mean she knew that she would do anything to protect them, any of them but constantly underestimated her own importance.

For a second they stand in absolute silence, her hand resting on his arm as he fails to turn away from her for a second time, instead caught in her intense gaze. Confused and worried green eyes trying to read his own, trying to understand what he was saying.

"What do you mean Charlie?" she asks quietly after a moment and he almost growls in his frustration moving his hands to run them through his hair and across his face, something she knew he did when he was upset or frustrated by something.

"It wasn't me… I wasn't quick enough, dad got there but if he hadn't, Sasha you could have… I wasn't there for any of you the way I should have been they were targeting people like you and Hermione and I wasn't there," she had never heard him sound more desperate and helpless than in that moment and it broke her heart to hear it so she did the only thing she could think to do. She gave him back control, gave his the chance to help her now despite how she hated it.

"Charlie," she whispers, stepping closer to him, back into his embrace, "I don't blame you Charlie, you did everything you could and you looked after me afterwards didn't you?" she asks trying to force him to look at her but he is avoiding her gaze still so she tries again, "didn't you?" she pushes and he sighs glancing up at her with a pained expression.

"Yes," he replies gruffly, not unlike a sulky teenager she thinks with a tiny smile as she takes in his hunched posture.

"Charlie will you help me now?" she asks as she watches him look up at her quickly his entire being thrumming with the chance to redeem himself in her eyes.

"Yes, anything, I'll do anything," he says tripping over himself to tell her and she can't help but giggle a little at his response.

"My leg is aching a bit, would you… I mean… if it's not too much trouble… would you maybe…" she breaks off feeling the fierce blush staining her cheeks and it is his turn to laugh at her.

"Spit it out princess," he chuckles causing her blush to spread across her cheeks but she sucks in a breath and grumble internally about the things she would be willing to do in order to keep him happy.

"Will you carry me, I don't thing I can walk any further?" she says in a rush now unable to meet his gaze at all and he chuckles again as he bends slightly to sweet her into his arms.

"It would be my pleasure princess," he says and she can hear the smirk in his voice and so sticks her tongue out at him.

"Oh shut up," she huffs loud enough for the other to hear too as they had by now caught up and causing them all to laugh and Ron and Harry to wolf whistle which very nearly makes her jump out of Charlie's arms to chase them.


	5. Chapter 5

The return journey to school is a long one and one she enjoyed much less than in previous years. Charlie had left the day before to head back to Romania and she already missed him too much for it to be normal.

"Write to him Sash," Harry says quietly from beside her shocking her out of her daydreaming and ripping a tiny gasp from her throat.

"What… I," she stumbles over her words and feels her self blushing as he smiles at her.

"It will make you feel better and him too I have no doubt, besides you know what the Weasley men are like," he breaks off here inclining his head slightly towards Hermione and Ron and she smiles a little sadly and nods her head, "he want's to write to you but he never will unless you do first," he leaves her then moving back to the other side of the cabin where his two best friends are sitting and begins sharing chocolate frogs with Ron while she stares after him for a while. It was odd she mused, she had always seen him as a little brother, I mean he was two years younger than her after all, but he is increasingly showing her that the age difference did little and rather he treated her as a baby sister and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. Instead of pondering on it she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and did as Harry had suggested, trying to avoid his smile as she slipped out of the carriage and headed off to find her Ruffles, her owl, and send her off to Romania.

For a while she stood by the open window, letting the cold air wake her up as she stared into the fast gathering darkness. Shivering as she remembered the dementors invading the train last year. The sound of footsteps approaching her causes her to spin and not a moment too soon as she is confronted with Draco Malfoy and his cronies.

"Well, well, well looks like we've found ourselves a little Mudblood that's strayed from the pack," Malfoy sneers and Sasha clenches her fists beside her, fingers twitching closer to her wand as she takes up a defensive stance.

"Braver now you've got your little friends with you again aren't you?" she mocks knowing that she should just walk away she couldn't really afford to get into trouble, she was a prefect now and that came with responsibilities and she knew damn well that they would be watching her closely, being made prefect when you are best friends with the most notorious trouble makers in school, not to mention Harry, Hermione and Ron came with certain conditions and fighting with Malfoy on the train to school was not really toeing the line as Mcgnagall had put it last year.

"I told you you'd get it for what you said at the world cup," he snarls and before she can help it the words are spilling out of her mouth.

"I'm pretty sure your father already tried to sort out your problems for you, the mask suits him, he missed though," as soon as she says it she regrets it, his face twists horribly and his hand connects with her face as quick as lightening. Seconds pass in silence, shock resonating around the small area and then they are scrambling away back to the other end of the train while she stands there, hand held to her stinging cheek, tears of pain stinging in her eyes.

"Sash, there you are we've been looking eve… whats wrong?" George's voice switches from jovial to confused and concerned in a millisecond and she desperately tries to turn around and escape his prying eyes only to come face to face with Fred.

"Fucking hell Sash," he murmurs as he examines her face and she looks down fixedly, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" George repeats in a carefully controlled voice that reminded her very much of the way Charlie and Bill spoke to her or the others when they were worried or angry.

"Nothing I…" before she can finish the sentence however she is interrupted by Fred who grabs her chin and pulls her face up to stare her in the eye.

"Bullshit Sash," he says icily and she shivers slightly, she knew how fiercely protective they were and she was terrified that they would seek revenge. Who was she kidding she'd bet her life that that is exactly what they would do and they would get expelled and it would be her fault because after all she did provoke him to do it.

"Who are you trying to protect Sasha?" George asks now, still in that terribly controlled and low voice that causes another shudder to roll through her.

"You two, you absolute idiots," she snaps eventually watching with a little unease and guilt as they recoil slightly, "it's nothing, I provoked it, it's my fault and no I won't tell you anything else because I will not have you getting yourselves expelled and leaving me here," she finishes before storming off and leaving them there in shocked silence for a second.

"I think we might have to consult our dear older brother on this one," George says after a moment and Fred merely nods a little as they head off themselves to find a piece of parchment and quill to write for advice.

Charlie's couple of nights back in Romania are… lonely, for want of a better word. He had always felt peaceful and relaxed and 'home' when he came back here but this time. This time all he could think about was a certain blonde haired, green eyed girl who had seemingly worked her way even deeper into his soul than she had when she was a child all those years ago. Lying in bed he sighs as he rolls over once again unable to sleep as he sees her face behind his eyelids. He had it bad. He could never tell her, would never tell her though because she saw him is only a friend a big brother and he would never risk losing that. He would have to simply keep her in his life as a friend and hope that he would find a way to cope with… whatever this was. A tapping interrupts his musings and he looks up to see two owls, smiling he jumps up and lets them both in taking the letters and feeding them treats before sending them to rest. Charlie's chest tightens slightly as he recognises her neat little handwriting on the first letter and his hands shake a little as he rips it open.

"Get a grip man," he says aloud to himself as he pauses before opening the letter.

 _Dear Charlie,_

 _How was your trip back to Romania? I hope everything is well there and all the dragons are happy. I still remember when you promised to take me there to see Norbetta, will you take me one day? I'm already dreading school and I'm only on the train! Will you come and rescue me please?_

 _I really miss you, I miss you all but especially you, don't tell the twins this but you're my best friend Charlie, I hope you don't think I'm just a stupid teenager. Anyway, I better go before Ron and Harry get sick form eating too much chocolate or Hermione kills them._

 _Write soon._

 _Yours always_

 _Sasha_

His heart is pounding erratically by the time he has finished reading the letter and both elation and disappointment are battling within him. He is ecstatic that she feels so close to him but hurt at the use of best friend. Then again what was he expecting her to write 'dear Charlie, I'm madly in love with you please come and take me away so we can get married and have lots of babies'? Dear lord he sounded like a teenage girl himself now. He laughs wryly to himself as he puts the letter down gently and picks up the second one, recognising his younger brothers untidy scrawl.

 _Brother dearest,_

 _We have a problem, and by we, we most definitely include you. Sasha's hurt. (Don't get your knickers in a twist it's not serious) we found her on the train and she had a mark on her face. Someone has hit Charlie, hit her pretty fucking hard and we don't know what to do!_

 _She's our best mate but we've never had to deal with this before and she won't tell us anything because she doesn't want us to seek revenge and get in trouble. We do pranks Charlie and well, we're in over our heads here, if she'll talk to anyone its you and we need to find out who hurt her._

 _Write back_

 _Your brilliantly funny and in need but never the less, dashingly handsome brothers_

 _Gred and Forge_

By the time he has finished reading this letter a new set of emotions were threatening to overwhelm him. He is physically shaking with anger at the thought of her being hurt and his blood is boiling, mixing with the guilt in his stomach that he had once again not been there to protect her when she was hurt. Maybe it was for the best if she found someone else because he was doing a terrible job of being her protector at the moment. The only thing that made him feel slightly calmer was that he would at least be back at Hogwarts for the Tri Wizard tournament in the next few weeks and so taking a calming breath, and long drink of fire whiskey, he sits down to write their replies.

 _Princess,_

 _I miss you too, more than I can say, it's always hard coming back here after being at home, you know us Weasley's are home creatures! But the dragons are perfect and they remind me that I am in the right place._

 _Of course I haven't forgotten that promise and I'll let you in on a secret, you're my best friend too. I promise that one day I'll bring you here to see it, you would love it here but in the meantime maybe I can arrange a little surprise. I hope your lessons are going well and you're top of the class as usual and I hope you're looking after yourself as well as the twins._

 _Yours always_

 _Charlie_

Re-reading the letter to make sure he hasn't given anything away in terms of the tournament or his feelings and finally satisfied he seals it carefully and moves to the second letter.

 _Fred and George,_

 _I can't believe someone has hurt her again and I wasn't there! I can't say too much but I might be able to be closer to you all soon._

 _Just keep her close and make sure you're watching her, make sure you're all keeping an eye on her only don't let her know that you're keeping an eye on her otherwise she'll kill us all!_

 _See you soon little brothers_

 _Charlie_

Again, once re reading and checking it, although not quite as thoroughly, he seals the letter and takes both over to the waiting owls sending them on their way and then standing for a while as they disappear into the darkness before finally settling back in bed and falling into a relatively peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The first few weeks of term drift by in a blur. The tournament was announced and so Sasha has been busy trying to dissuade the twins from finding a way to enter and also help them come up with a plan that wouldn't kill them both. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had arrived and caused a huge amount of upset and intrigue and other than that things had pretty much settled down. Things were no better with the Slytherins however and Malfoy seemed to make her his personal target this year. It was odd she thought, she had always been there in the background, protecting Harry and Hermione and Ron and Ginny but he had never paid that much attention to her in the past. Now though, well, she must have really struck a nerve with that comment about his dad and he had clearly told all of his housemates to make a beeline for her.

On a crisp Saturday morning, bored of all the tournament talk she grabs her broom and heads to the Quidditch field. Sasha loved flying, it made her feel free, after her father had died, when she had felt most lost and alone it was flying that had given her some comfort and she was angry that the house cup, well all Quidditch had been cancelled this year because of the Tri Wizard.

"Stupid tournament," she muttered to herself as she took flight, she had been hoping to gain the coveted role of Quirdtich captain this year and was beyond upset that not only would she not be getting such a title but that she would also not get a chance to play at all. Still, after a couple of hours of flying she felt infinitely better and more well rested and as she comes to land there is a smile on her face. A smile which freezes and slips as she sees three huge Slytherin's standing around her suddenly. Brilliant and she didn't have her wand on her either. How stupid could she get?

"Look what we got here?" one of them growls and she shudders slightly despite herself,

"Leave me alone you idiots," she bites back at them trying her best to hide any fear she felt.

"Oh no, not until we've had our fun," another one of them snarls, ugly yellowing teeth protruding from his mouth as he sneered at her, he was twirling his wand and she realised quite suddenly that she was in serious trouble here her only hope was to run but she wouldn't be fast enough. Her broom she thought suddenly, she could fly away from them shoe mounts quickly and kicks off but she isn't quite quick enough and a sharp tup on her leg pulls her heavily off her escape route and she connects quite suddenly with the hardened, frost covered ground.

"Not so fast mudblood," one of the boys growls and she screams then, screams bloody murder and kicks and punches, but it isn't much good. They're not stupid enough to use their wands, to use spells that can be traced so instead its fists and feet.

By the time they have finished and left her there, her entire body is pulsating with pain and the coldness of the ground is sending a chill straight to her bones. For a long while she just lies there, not able to move, not having the strength to do anything and if she admitted it, too ashamed to let anyone see her like this.

"Hey guys whats that over there?" the voice is unfamiliar and is definitely that of a man not a boy and for a moment she thinks that maybe she is dreaming as she hears footsteps approaching and then the memories flood her head and she whimpers a little, much to her embarrassment and tries to scramble away, her eyes popping open in fright, well one of them anyway, the other seemed to be swollen shut.

"Jesus, she's had the shit kicked out of her," the same voice says as it gets closer, light now shinning on her face.

"Princess?" the voice sounds choked and shocked and for a second she can't believe she's heard it, she would recognise it anywhere of course even without the nickname.

"Charlie?" her own voice sounds tiny even to her own ears and suddenly she is looking at him and his own eyes are suspiciously shiny as tears of relief and pain fill hers.

"You know her?" someone else asks but he is ignored as Charlie tries to examine me whilst she clings to him desperately.

"Is it really you?" she murmurs and he nods which makes a fresh confusion fill her, "where are we, where am I?" she asks now a frown marring her face.

"Hogwarts love, I'm here for work, it's to do with the tournament," he whispers, "now lets get you to the hospital wing," she pushes him away as soon as he says this.

"No, no hospital wing, just lend me your wand and I can heal myself here," she insists and so out of confusion more than anything else he hands over his wand and she performs a handful of complicated healing spells, sighing in relief as the pain finally fades. The coldness was still there, but she could handle that on its own.

"What is going on Sash?" he asks after a moment and she just shakes her head and so he turns to the others he is with, has a quick hushed conversation with them and they fade into the darkness and then he is back beside her, steering her to the Gryfindor stands and making her sit before casting a warming charm around them and wrapping her tightly in his arms. She doesn't move away, she couldn't if she wanted to and somewhere in the back of her mind that scared her. She missed him too much, it hurt to be apart from him and it felt so, right, being here like this and yet she knew he would leave again and something in her was petrified that one day he'd leave for good and she wouldn't be able to cope with that because she missed her dad everyday. It hurt everyday when she woke up and he wasn't there but she somehow knew that if Charlie left her forever it would be even worse.

The minutes tick by and still they sit in silence, her tears slowing to a steady stop and her breathing finally relaxing as she realises that he was really here, that she was really safe.

"You ready to talk now?" he asks after the silence has gone on too long for him and she sighs moving away from him slightly and staring across the quidditch pitch.

"It's nothing," she whispers eventually and she doesn't need to look at him to know that his sigh of frustration is accompanied by him running his hands through his hair and over his face.

"You're lying to me Sash, what the hell is going on with you?" his frustration is audible in his voice and she doesn't know what to do. He can't know the truth because he'd be worse than the twins in trying to find revenge and he'd probably end up in Azkaban.

"It's honestly nothing, I feel off my broom thats all," she mutters feeling her face flush with the ridiculous lie.

"Bullshit!" he shouts suddenly and she jumps up in fright as he does and she is suddenly aware of anger coursing through her veins and she had absolutely no idea why.

"Why do you care Charlie?" she yells and the hurt in his face makes her stomach clench uncomfortably making her take a faltering step away from him as he stands there in shocked silence for a moment.

"Of course I care Sash, how could you even…?" his voice trails off and she almost can't speak but years of anger and hurt and confusion and worry are making it difficult to work out what she is thinking or feeling.

"To look after the others!" she shouts and he frowns in confusion now, "I'm always the strong one, the one that looks after the others. Look after the twins Sasha, make sure Harry and Ron are okay Sasha, be sure that you look after Ginny Sasha. I'm trying Charlie I really am but you can't tell me to look after them and be the strong one and then be all concerned," she finishes breathing heavily he stares at her for a moment in complete and utter bewilderment.

"Thats not fair Sash," he whispers after a while and all the fight goes out of her because of course she knows he's right, she know's that he cared that he always had she was just angry that he didn't love her the way she wanted him to. If she was honest she really blamed her parents, and Disney. She had grown up wanting to be a strong and powerfully independent woman, thats what her parents had taught her and yet… Disney had taught her that she needed to be a damsel in distress and a helpless princess to find her perfect man. Confusing just didn't cover it and it was driving her slightly crazy as she tried to work out what to do whilst still protecting her friends and training to be the best witch she could be.

"I know," she whimpers as she sinks to her seat once more, "I'm sorry," she adds and after another sigh and a shuffle of movement she is once again gathered into his arms and her face is buried in his powerful chest making her heart flutter painfully which wasn't helping.

"I just wish you'd tell us what is going on with you," he mutters after a while and she smiles a tiny amount although there is little humour in it.

"I can't, you'd… you just have to trust me Charlie, I can handle it I promise, I was just stupid today, I forgot my wand, it won't happen again," she replies and instead of responding his arms just tighten around her and she knows that he is agreeing despite the fact that he doesn't want to. "So why are you here anyway?" she asks after a moment to lift the tension from the air and he chuckles a little.

"I can't tell you yet Princess but you'll know soon enough I promise," he says and she huffs a little which makes him laugh more and pull her closer, "you better be getting back to the castle or you'll miss curfew," he says after a while shaking her head a little.  
"I'm a prefect remember, I'm allowed out later," she smirks and he laughs even as he is already pulling her up and taking her hand, begins leading her back to the castle.

"Not outside princess," he smirks back and she laughs out a fine and they continue their walk in companionable silence.


	7. Chapter 7

After dropping her in the entrance hall Charlie quickly makes his way to Professor Mcgnagall's office, his body still tense with worry despite what he told Sasha.

"What can I do for you Mr Weasley, it's been a long time since you graced these hallways?" she says smiling at him as she grins back and takes a seat in front of the desk behind which the witch sat marking papers.

"I… I wanted to ask you something," he starts not quite sure how to word this but as usual the staff here seem to know far more than they ever let on, it was actually even more unnerving now than when he had been a student.

"Your concern for Miss Greening is touching but she's a capable student," he freezes completely as she says this, is he that transparent to everyone, could Sasha know? Is she trying to let him down gently?

"That's the problem though Professor, she's constantly putting herself at risk to protect the others and I just… I'm not here to look out for her," he starts again feeling his face flushing but choosing to ignore it for the sake of helping her, she was after all, more important than anything else including his pride.

"She's not a child anymore Mr Weasley, she has to learn to fend for herself and you need to trust those here that she is close to, they will protect her when you aren't there," she says not unkindly and he sighs in frustration but eventually nods and thanks her before taking his leave.

Walking along the corridors and back towards the main doors he is so deep in thought that he very nearly runs straight into a student patrolling.

"Who are you?" the student asks immediately and Charlie smiles, the smile slipping slightly as he looks more closely and recognises the student as the one at the Quidditch World Cup that the twins said Sasha was so fond of.

"Charlie Weasley," he says gruffly holding out his hand which the boy immediately shakes enthusiastically.

"You're Sasha's friend?" he asks and Charlie nods curtly, the word friend didn't sit right with him at all, "I'm Cedirc, Cedric Diggory," he introduces himself with a smile and Charlie nods his head again not really sure what else to do.

"Well… it's, er, nice to meet you," Charlie mumbles as he tries to work out how to get past this enthusiastic student.

"Is Sasha okay?" Cedric asks now and Charlie can't help but cringe a little at the way in which her name sounds being said by this kid. "It's just, I know she's been out of sorts recently and, well, I, we're friends, she is okay isn't she?" the concern in his voice makes Charlie feel guilty for his jealousy and he suddenly thinks that he should be encouraging her to be closer to those who cared about her other than just his family and Harry.

"Yeah, she's just, keep an eye on her will you I think someones been giving her a hard time and, well, just don't…" before he can finish though he is interrupted.

"Don't let her know or she'll kill all of us, yeah I know," Cedric grins and for a second pain stabs at Charlie's heart at the idea that someone knows _his_ Sasha as well as he did.

"Cheers," he manages instead after a second and then he is moving past him and out into the coldness of the October air. He was in big trouble. He had pretty much just given that Cedric kid a free pass to pursue Sasha and just the thought of it made him feel like he would vomit at any second. Letting out a roar of frustrated anguish as he reaches the forests edge he makes his way back to his dragons and an attempt at sanity.

It is a week later when the champions are announced and Sasha's heart is pounding so frantically in her chest that she feels as if she might pass out when Cedric's name is called and she knows her face is pale and grim when he catches her eye and gives her a small smile on his way to the front of the great hall.

"Harry Potter," What? Her head shoots up to look at Dumbledore as he reads the name on the charred piece of parchment that has just been spat out of the goblet.

"Go on Harry," Hermione is saying but even as he gets to his feet she is already on her own blocking his path and facing the teachers.

"No," she all but screams over the shouts and murmurs and chatter of other students, "it's a mistake, clearly it's a mistake, he's too young," she continues, her voice frantic in her pleading.

"Be that as it may Miss Greening," Dumbledore starts, "Harry to the front," he continues and her anguished glance catches the shocked gaze of Cedric before Harry slips past her giving her fingers a squeeze and she is being pulled back into a seat between the twins. The next hour drifts by in uneasy silence, she barely registers anything around her as the twins practically frog march her back to the common room where they all wait for Harry's return. When the portrait hole eventually does open revealing a pale and frightened looking Harry, Sasha nearly breaks down on the spot moving to stand before him her eyes searching his face for the answers she so desperately needed.

"It's binding," he says eventually, "I have no choice," the words knock the breath right out of her before anger rushes through her so quickly it makes her lightheaded as she moves towards the portrait hole behind Harry.

"Sash, where are you going?" George asks glancing at the others wondering if he'd missed something.

"To talk to whichever idiot decided that a fourteen year old had to be in this stupid thing," she bites out in response, her anger making her nauseous.

"Come on Sash, it's nearly curfew, wait till morning yeah?" Fred tries now and if she had stopped for a second she would have been able to detect a worry she rarely heard in either of the twins voices but she just kept pushing past until she was outside and running through the corridors.

After searching fruitlessly for what seems like hours she runs straight into Dumbledore himself who looks as ever like he knew it was coming and it only served to infuriate her all the more.

"Sir, what were you thinking?" she says harshly, breathing heavily and gritting her teeth as he simply smiles gently at her.

"The magic is binding Miss Greening, there was nothing I could do," his voice is calm and controlled but there was a hint of sadness and worry there too, only she couldn't hear that, she couldn't hear anything over her own concern and fear.

"But there's always something, how am I supposed to… if he's… It's too dangerous," she stutters adrenaline still pumping through her too strongly.

"Perhaps a stroll down to the forbidden forest will help you get some answers," he says instead and then he is gone and she wants to scream and is suddenly very aware of the tears coursing down her face, she tries to brush them away angrily but it is in vein and so does Dumbledore had suggested and begins to run.

She makes it all the way to the forbidden forest before letting out a scream followed by a sob as her knees buckle slightly.

"Sasha?" the voice is panicked as she looks up to see Charlie charging towards her a few minutes later and she jumps up and flings herself into his arms, sobs wracking her body as he holds her tightly, finger stroking through her hair and across the skin of her shoulders. "Sash, princess, what is it? What's wrong?" his voice is soft and she finally lets the tension go. The only time she is ever truly herself was with him, the only one she really let see her vulnerable and weak was him.

"The… name… goblet… Harry," her voice is weak and stammering when she finally attempts to speak, words caught on dry sobs and hiccoughs.

"Calm down princess, it's okay, you're safe, I promise, now just breath," he shushes her and within minutes her exhaustion has lulled her to sleep in the safety of his arms. For a few moments he simply sits and holds her where they are at the edge of the forest as he decides what to do. He knows what he should do. He should take her back to the castle, the others would be worried if she didn't return. She'd get in trouble if she didn't return but he also knew that although there were selfish reasons for wanting to keep her with him she wanted to be there too, at least for now. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Dumbledore knew she was here a suspicion which was confirmed when a noise behind him signals someones arrival and he spins to see said headmaster standing there staring knowingly at the girl in his arms.

"I think that for tonight we break protocol what do you say Mr Weasley?" Dumbledore says quietly and a flush flies to Charlie's cheeks, could he mean? No, get your head out of the gutter man! What did he mean then?

"I… I don't understand sir?" he says quietly and Dumbledore smiles conspiratorially,

"Then let me in on a secret," he starts leaning forward ever so slightly and Charlie finds himself doing the same. "We always remember the legends, the hero's, the names like Harry Potter, and we remember them for good reason, what we do not always remember are the names that don't end up in the final edit of the history books, the names of those people who are there throughout journey's of the Hero's, the names of the people that are instrumental to the defeat of evil even if they do not cast the final spell," he breaks off for a minute and Charlie ponders what has just been said still no closer to understanding what the old wizard meant. "She is one of those names, Mr Weasley, he will need her before the end, we all will so perhaps we should make sure is safe and strong now," he flicks his wand and a small shelter pops up on the edge of the forest, not far behind Hagrid's hut, "just make sure she's back by breakfast," he winks and Charlie feels himself flushing again, wondering if the headmaster would be this accommodating if he knew the way Charlie felt about her.

Slowly he enters the little hut and flicking his own wand starts a fire in the grate once he has settled her on the bed. For a while he just watches her sleep until she begins tossing and turning and, just as he moves forward to try and comfort her, sits up abruptly and scream dying on her lips. Confusion and fear colouring her features as she gazes around the strange room until she spots Charlie and her entire body relaxes slightly, something which made Charlie's insides tingle a little.

"Charlie," she whispers and he moves to sit on the edge of the bed she was currently sitting on, "where are we?" she asks her frown deepening as she continues to gaze around nervously.

"At the edge of the forbidden forest, just behind Hagrid's," he answers quietly, his fingers almost shaking as he moves to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But… why… oh my God Harry," she whimpers almost as if in pain as she remembers why she had rushed to see him in the first place.

"Shh… its okay," he soothes immediately wrapping her in his arms and pulling her almost completely into his lap and fighting the sigh that wants to escape him as he realises just how well she fits in his arms.

"What's going on?" she asks, the exhaustion in her voice pulling painfully at his heart and for a moment he is silent opting for burying his face against her neck and breathing her in, relishing this moment with her. It might be one of the few he ever gets.

"Dumbledore must have followed you down, said I should look… said we should talk and you could stay here tonight," he says changing his wording at the last minute knowing how much she hated being 'looked after' and she frowns even more deeply for a second as she works out what to say.

"It's hopeless," she sighs eventually and he merely tightens his grip on her.

"Nothing is hopeless princess, tell me whats wrong and we'll work it out together," he whispers to her but she shakes her head against his shoulder before pulling away slightly.

"Harry's name got pulled out of the goblet and they say he has no choice, he has to take part," she tells him eventually and he freezes in shock as he tries to process this information. "I thought it was bad enough when Cedric's name got called out but then Harry too," she whimpers again as she remembers the moments earlier this evening when the announcements had been made.

"You and he are close huh?" Charlie chokes out eventually and she looks up at him in utter bewilderment.

"Harry is like my brother Charlie, you know that, I'd do anything to keep him safe," she says slowly as if he is not quite with it and he shakes his head at her, unable to smile as his stomach roils.

"No, Cedric?" he asks hoping that the strain in his voice isn't too audible but she doesn't notice instead she laughs a little and despite everything he can't help they joy he feels as he hears that laugh, it had been far too long since he had heard that sound.

"Ced and I are just friends Charlie, he's a nice guy and I like him but its not like that," she laughs and he hates himself a little bit for how much he loved hearing that little piece of news.

"So… listen princess," he says with a sigh pulling her face up to so that he can look her in the eye again, "Harry can handle himself and you'll still be able to help him prepare just like always yeah?" he says and she sighs a little.

"I'm being pathetic aren't I?" she says with an embarrassed giggle feeling her face flushing and he laughs a little though his face is still serious.

"No you're not princess, you've lost a lot, I… we all understand that," he whispers to her and she nods her head burying herself further into his warmth.

"I just don't want to lose anyone else, I couldn't bear that," he murmurs to him and his arms once again find themselves tight around her.

"You won't I promise we'll keep you safe," he responds and she sighs in frustration,

"That's exactly the point Charlie, it's not about me, it's about all of you," she chides him but he merely hums at her and for a while they sit in silence until she can feel herself drifting off again.

"Go to sleep princess, you're safe, we all are," he whispers into her hair and within moments she is blissfully and peacefully in the world of dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

The following morning is both perfect and awful for Sasha and Charlie. In those first few seconds when they first awoke they both felt complete, whole, at peace in the arms of their greatest love. Of course seeing as how neither of them believe that other holds any such feelings and both being desperate to not show the other just how in love with them they are made for an incredibly awkward next few moments.

By the time she gets to the great hall for breakfast, after he has insisted on walking her back to the castle, her heart is still thundering and she feels like the flush on her face will never go away.

"Sasha Lily Greening where the bloody hell have you been?" Fred and George shout simultaneously as they appear beside her at the Gryffindor table and she cringes further as practically ever head in the great hall turns to look at her.

"Nowhere, I… I was just clearing my head," she whispers unable to look them in the eyes as they sit beside her and she thanks whatever god there is that the others are nowhere to be seen yet.

"Hmm, really?" Fred asks and before she can say anything George pipes up from her other side,

"It's just we could have sworn that we saw a familiar Weasley…"

"One that no longer attends this school," Fred interrupts again,

"Walking towards the forest after a very familiar…" George picks up again and as usual her head is swinging between the two of them as they speak for each other, finishing sentences without rehearsal, a skill which had always equal parts fascinated and infuriated her.

"Blonde haired _princess_ was dropped off," Fred finishes, making sure he emphasised his brothers nickname for their best friend.

"It's nothing," she defends quickly and they both laugh,

"Oh and heres us thinking that our older brother has finally got the guts to spill his guts," George laughs and she scowls at them for winding her up.

"You know he doesn't feel that way about me, I do wish you'd stop teasing me about it," she snaps at them before grabbing a piece of toast and standing up, "I need to go get my stuff for lessons," she says hurriedly as she rushes off leaving the twins staring after her.

"I wish she'd realise that we never make a joke at her expense," George sighs, always the slightly more sensitive of the two and his brother merely nods his agreement before they both jump slightly as a voice sounds behind them.

"She knows, she's just in denial, it's easier for her I guess," Hermione says and then smiles a greeting at them both before sitting, her nose already in a book.

"Girls," Fred huffs now before they both laugh and head off to get rid of their frustrations in a battle of some kind with Peeves.

It is three days before Sasha finds herself back at the edge of the forest trying to figure out how to find out exactly where Charlie was. Of course if she hadn't been more distracted she would have figured out before now why he was here. She was actually quite angry at herself, the first task was in a week and had wasted so much time. Now though, she just needed to confirm it and then she could tell Harry and Cedric. With a deep breath she pulls out her wand and mutters a quick lumos before moving forward cautiously.

An hour later she is about to give up, she was no closer to finding anything other than her untimely demise and had already had a couple of near misses with the creatures that dwelled her but just as she is about to pack it in and go and write Charlie an owl she hears a roar and then voices. Without thinking she rushes towards the sounds crashing through the undergrowth before freezing as she finds herself quite suddenly at the pointy end of several wands. Gulping she raises her hands slightly in the universal sign of surrender.

"Stop! Wait, stop!" Charlie's voice is thick with panic as he rushes forwards and places himself squarely in front of her, shielding her from the wands of his colleagues.

"Fuck's sake Charlie you know you're not supposed to invite anyone down," a voice growls and she shudders a little behind him, taking a half step back before stopping as she realises that Charlie has a tight grip on her wrist.

"I know," he says and I can feel the reprimand in the way they are looking at him and she can't take it so taking a breath she step out from behind him.

"He didn't invite me," she says in a small voice, "I figured out why he was here and came to confirm my suspicions he would never have told me," she says and feels his fingers tighten briefly around her own, how had they ended up holding hands again?

"I can see why you like her," the man laughs and before she can say anything, or Charlie can say anything, both with burning faces they are pretty much alone again as the others around them turn back to dealing with the dragons with them.

Charlie tugs on her hand slightly once he has recovered his wits slightly and leads her over to his tent, pulling her through and forcing her to sit on the battered sofa inside. She takes a second now, shaken out of her shock to once again marvel at magic, a small smile making its way onto her face as she remembers watching episodes of Doctor Who with her parents when she was a small child, always fascinated by the tardis. Her smile slips from her face however as she looks up to see Charlie's concerned gaze and remembers why she was here.

"So I was right, its dragons, the first task is dragons?" her face is pale and her voice pleading and it tears at Charlie's heart that he can't alleviate her fears.

"It's true," he whispers and she is on her feet and pacing angrily and before he can process what is happening a sudden stinging pain is radiating through his cheek. Had she just…? She had just slapped him.

"Why didn't you tell me? You knew how worried I was, how much I wanted to help and you knew… all along you knew what they had to face and you didn't tell me," anger is coursing freely through her veins now and she can't seem to stop herself from pacing.

"You don't think I wanted to?" he roars suddenly and now she stops, he'd never shouted at her before and it scared her a little. There was no doubting that Charlie Weasley was a powerful and intimidating man, tall and broad and rippling with strong muscle, a man who ran towards danger when most ran away, a man who literally played with dragons and therefore fire. Of course she had known all of this, it was in no short part why she loved him but his anger, his strength had never been aimed at her before.

"Then why didn't you?" she asks although she notices that her voice is considerably quieter now and less accusatory and she is still backing away from him, he notices too and it breaks his heart to know he had scared her but there was too much tension in him too much hurt at how little faith she had in him.

"You should go," he says instead through gritted teeth and the hurt that flickers across her face is so complete that he nearly breaks down right there but he doesn't he stands rigid and unmoving.

"What…?" she chokes out unable to force any other words from her mouth as she stares up at him.

"You don't trust me, you never did not really, I shouldn't have… just leave Sasha, go back to the castle before you get caught and get detention," his voice is void of emotion and she can't work out whats going on and so she turns and stumbles out.

Her stomach is roiling with grief and guilt, as it had been for the last five days. Five days since they had argued! She had never gone that long without speaking to someone she cared about and the knowledge that it was her fault made her sick. So instead of dwelling on it she throws herself into the self made task of keeping both Harry and Cedric safe. The morning after her fight with Charlie, that had been a long and sleepless night, she had found Harry and told him what the task entailed and then gone to find Cedric and whispered the same warning to him. Since then she had been trying to find ways to help both of them and avoid the questioning and concerned gazes that the others were shooting her. At least Harry and Cedric were too preoccupied with their upcoming task to pay too much attention to her and for that she was thankful.

"You should eat Sash," Ron says as he sits beside her at breakfast on the morning of the task and she jumps in shock, her face colouring slightly at the realisation that she must really have let herself go a bit if even Ron had noticed.

"I will when this bloody task is over and I know they're safe," I whisper with a sigh and he gives me a grim smile of his own before turning back to him own breakfast.

Sasha spends the next several hours with her heart in her mouth feeling as though she may be sick or pass out at any second, she watches silently, her body shaking with pent up energy, as first Cedric, then the other two and finally Harry face their dragons. She very nearly screams out loud when Harry's dragon escapes and begins chasing him around the castle and she very nearly collapses when he finally defeats it and grabs his egg. The celebrations afterwards are raucous to say the least and she quickly slips away from them to find a quiet corner of the castle in which to calm her frayed nerves.

Charlie watches her silently from his vantage point and the guilt that has been building in him over the last week reached breaking point as she dipped her head and he saw her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. How could he have been so cruel to her? She was only sixteen but he often forgot that, she was so much closer to his age in his mind, in the way the spoke, the way he felt, that he pushed it away until moments like those when it came screaming to the front of his mind again and he felt dirty and wrong. Bill had spent hours telling him that five years was nothing, that in a few years time it would seem inconsequential and maybe it would but right now it felt wrong and he used that as an excuse to deny his feelings for her. Still it was no excuse for hurting her the way he had, she had lost a lot in the last few years and had been so happy to get him back in her life, she had told him as much. In just the last few weeks the girl had been through traumas that he wouldn't wish on anyone and yet still managed to bounce back stronger, fighting as she always did until him. One fight with him and he could see he had broken her and that in turn broke him.

He was leaving tonight, heading back to Romania with the dragons and he had wanted to see her to make it up to her and now he was frozen in place as he watched the girl he loved, the girl who would never know how much he loved her, cry silently because of pain he had caused. After long minutes of silence he forces himself to move taking a step towards her, freezing when he sees that Diggory boy coming up to sit beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders and her face hesitantly turning and burying itself in his neck. Rage and jealousy surged through Charlie so forcefully in that moment that he had to fight the urge to scream but in the next second the fight leaves him completely. Maybe this was for the best, she deserved someone that could be there always, someone her own age, someone who would never make her cry and so with a heavy sigh he turns and leaves, his heart fracturing as he does so.


	9. Chapter 9

_Dear Charlie,_

 _I'm really quite angry at you for leaving without coming to say goodbye you know! I didn't get a chance to apologise for being such a horrible little, well, witch or anything! Anyway the twins told me that you had arrived safely and that you were under the impression that I was dating Cedric? I told you before Charlie, Ced and I are friends._

 _Hermione and Ginny are trying to convince me to stay at Hogwarts and go to the Yule Ball, I don't want to though, you know how terribly I dance, it's going to be awful!_

 _I miss you Charlie, please don't be angry at me anymore, I couldn't bear that, I need you, I don't think I can do this all without you._

 _Yours_

 _Sasha_

As he puts the letter down he lets a wry smile spread across his face at her bravery and determination and wonders briefly why she always seemed to have bigger 'balls' than him. He also wanted to kill the twins and thank them for fixing a little piece of his heart. Why had she been so insistent on pointing out they were just friends though? Shaking his head he took another sip of his butterbeer before pulling a piece of parchment towards him, he needed to let her go, he needed to be stronger, be her friend, her… brother, despite the fact that even thinking that word mad him feel slightly ill and wrong, he did not see her the way a brother saw a sister and was not sure he ever would.

 _Sasha,_

 _I'm sorry too, in fact I am the only one that should be sorry, I was an idiot a pig headed one at that so… sorry Sash! I did come to see you the night I left but I couldn't find you so I left a message with my brothers._

 _I miss you too but I'm trying to arrange some time off in the summer so maybe I'll get to see you again then and we can send letters until then?_

 _I'm sure you will be fine at the ball you are not that bad at dancing you just need the right partner is all and I look forward to seeing the pictures too._

 _I could never be angry at you Sash, so please don't worry and just stay safe okay, I know you worry about the others but I worry about you so don't do anything stupid okay?_

 _Love_

 _Charlie_

He sighs heavily as he sends his letter off to her hoping that he hadn't given too much away within it but equally as frustrated that he hadn't been able to say all that he wanted to either.

"Oh, he must be really mad at you," Fred teases over her shoulder as he reads the letter in her hands at breakfast a few days later and she snatches the parchment away and buries it in her pocket as quickly as she can.

"What makes you say that brother dearest?" George asks careful to gauge her reaction whilst he listens for his brothers response.

"No pet names, not a single princess in that letter," Fred laughs and Sasha tries to laugh too although she only manages to achieve more of a grimace.

"I really blew it," she mutters in reply eventually and both boys feel their faces fall at the abject misery on her face.

"He could never hate you Sash, he's just a grumpy old sod give him bit of time, he'll be fine, you'll be back to normal in no time," George hurries to reassure her and she plasters on a smile and pretends to believe him.

"I should get to class," she mutters before running off and away from them, the letter burning a hole in her robes for the rest of the day.

The weeks drift by and soon the yule ball is all anyone can talk about, Hermione and the others had convinced Sasha to stay at school over the Christmas break and attend the ball and even though she would normally have done anything to avoid that a little piece of her hated the idea of spending Christmas at home, with her mother drunk or crying and an air of depression hanging over the entire house, and so she wrote to her and received a short reply saying that she was planning on spending Christmas with friends anyway. So, Sasha had been forced down to Hogsmeade to go dress shopping and then forced into buying a red dress that Ginny said was 'perfect on her' before she was finally allowed to escape and walk back to the castle with the twins following behind her at a discreet distance to make sure she was safe and no one tried anything.

It's a crisp Saturday morning, a week before the dance, and Sasha had escaped down to the black lake to clear her head and is in such a daze that she jumps violently when someone sits beside her suddenly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the voice says apologetically and she turns to see Cedric sitting beside her looking nervous.

"Hey Ced, it's okay I just didn't hear you," she says quietly and he smiles kindly at her, for a moment seeming to get lost in staring at her until she shifts uncomfortably and he clears his throat looking out across the lake for a second as he attempts to collect his thoughts.

"So…" he starts breaking off again and swallowing nervously which makes her giggle a little a sound which both makes him smile and blush.

"What's wrong with you Ced, I've never seen you so nervous not even when battling dragons?" she asks with a smile and he smiles back albeit awkwardly, internally thinking that he would probably prefer the dragons at the moment.

"I was just wondering if, well, if you had a date to the Yule Ball?" he asks eventually and then stares at her expectantly, trying to not look too desperate.

"No, I was wondering if I could avoid it to be honest but Hermione would kill me," she laughs and he frowns at the way she has completely missed his point.

"Will you go with me?" he asks now making it as clear as he can and she freezes, for a second he thinks she is going to run away from him but she doesn't just sits and stares at him for a really long time.

Sasha is, to put it bluntly, shellshocked by the invite, her first instinct is to run away and write to Charlie telling him how funny it is, then with a slight pang in her heart she remembered that Charlie wasn't there so much anymore, physically or mentally, he was pulling away, telling her to move on by letting her down gently, thats what Hermione had said anyway! So she stares at Cedric, she knew deep down that she could never love him like she loved Charlie but maybe she owed to him, to Charlie, to herself to give things a go with him. To move on and, well, she didn't really know what but it's worth a try right?

"Okay," she says quietly after the silence has become almost too complete and for a second he doesn't react at all until his face suddenly slackens in shock.  
"Really? You… you'll come with me?" he asks and she nods her head with a small smile and his answering one is so bright that she knows instantly that she has made the right decision.

"What's got you two so happy?" Fred says as he and George suddenly appear beside her and sit down, passing Sasha a handful of sandwiches which she takes.

"Did I miss breakfast again?" she asks and they both give her a stern look as if to say 'of course you did, you know you did'.

"And lunch," George reprimands and she blushes guilty, once again grateful to whatever deity had decided that she deserved friends as brilliant as those she had here.

"Thank you," she whispers tucking into a cheese and pickle sandwich and realising quite suddenly how hungry she is.

"So what's got you two so happy?" Fred repeats after a moment and she glances at Cedric who is looking at her as if asking for permission to tell them and so with a shy smile she nods to him before turning back to her sandwiches.

"Sasha just agreed to go to the Yule Ball with me," Cedric says proudly his arm finding it's way around her shoulders and squeezing gently.

"Has she now?" George asks in shock, could his best friend finally be moving on from his idiot of a big brother?

"Time for us to give you the speech then Diggory," Fred smirks putting on his sternest face and beginning to interrogate poor Cedric about his intentions until Sasha snorts and tells them off before jumping up and asking Cedric if he would walk with her to the library so she could get her homework done, which he of course readily agrees to.

The twins watch the two of walking back to the castle before Fred turns to George with a low whistle.

"What is Charlie going to say when he finds out?" he asks and George shrugs in response,

"You read that letter too, he pushed her away, serves him right," he replies gruffly, he was still put out with his brothers treatment of Sasha to be honest. She was his best friend and it had taken him a while to get used to the idea but once Fred had convinced him he could see how perfect they were for each other, both with an insatiable attitude for adventure and flying and all things animal. Both self sacrificing and gentle and fiercely loyal and protective of their friends and their families. Now though Charlie had ruined everything, he was being pig headed and stubborn and remarkably like Percy or Ron at the moment.

"He's not going to like it though," Fred pushes and George grunts in agreement shaking his head thoughtfully as he munches on a pumpkin pie.

"Maybe he'll finally see sense," he says after a while before changing the subject and talking about a new idea for a joke product they could create.

The evening of the ball is a long time coming for poor Sasha who has spent the day being preened and pampered to within an inch of her life and, for a girl who never wears makeup and is far more interested in the latest broomstick on the market than in clothes it was more or less a nightmare. Still, she had survived it and was now approaching the stairs down to the great hall, her hands trembling as she prepared to meet Cedric. Her hair had been pulled int loose curls on top of her head, a few tendrils of white blonde framing her face, her green eyes brighter than ever with the addition of some light make up and eyeliner. Her body packed into a tightly fitting, backless red dress that drifted gracefully to the floor concealing the silver pumps she wore. She was incredibly nervous and felt both beautiful and ridiculous. As she begins her descent with Hermione looking serene and beautiful beside her she hears the whispers and gasps aimed at her friend and can't help the feeling of pride for her friend. Glancing up she catches Cedric's eye and blushes deeply, looking away from him and at the floor as she approaches him.

Cedric, for his part, was speechless, he didn't think he had ever seen something as perfect as Sasha looked in that moment and was fairly certain he could die tomorrow a very happy man if he had the spent the night with such a beauty.

"You look so beautiful," he whispers to her as she takes his arm and they begin to walk into the hall, turned ballroom.

"Thank you," she whispers with a blush, sighing as his arms wrap around her and they begin their first dance.

The night is perfect, she dances, she talks to her friends she connects with Cedric and she is happy. For the first time in a long time she felt relaxed and carefree and happy, everyone noticed too and that made them happy which made her happier. Sitting in her room later that evening, after Cedric had walked her back to her common room and kissed her on the corner of her mouth making her stomach flip and flutter in a way she had not expected, she looks through the photos that had been taken and magically developed that night. She sighs as she realises that despite her burgeoning feelings for Cedric, Charlie would have made her night complete and she would always secretly want him, her heart would always yearn for him. Smiling, she picks up a photo of her dancing with George and him twirling her away from him and towards Fred who is waiting to catch her, she is smiling as her dress spins out and she turns to face the camera, smiling and laughing. It is one of her favourites and she decides to send it to Charlie, so that he would have a photo of her at the Ball. She had plenty to keep for herself.

 _Dear Charlie,_

 _I hope everything is okay in Romania and the dragons aren't causing too much trouble. Hermione persuaded me to go to the Yule Ball in the end and Ced asked me to go with him. I had a brilliant night as it turns out and I didn't trip up once! I've enclosed a picture of me and the twins at the ball, you don't have to keep it but I thought you might like it._

 _Anyway, I better be going its back to lessons next week and I have loads of homework still to do and I have to help Harry and Ced figure out the next task too._

 _I miss you as always._

 _Yours_

 _Sasha_

She seals the letter carefully and doing Harry's cloak which she had borrowed earlier she heads straight to the owlery to send it off, watching her owl disappear into the darkness and breathing in the cold night air for a while before heading off to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

January disappears in a haze of lessons and letters, Sasha and Charlie seemed to have fixed their argument and they were once again sending frequent messages and letters to one another, she kept him up to date on everything and he tried his best to help her come up with solutions to her problems. Before she knew it February was upon them and they only had two days left to figure out the second task.

Rushing through the corridors to the library Sasha skids to a halt in front of Professor Mcgnagall, damn it, she really needed to do some research into the black lake, or more specifically how to breath under water for an hour, for the boys, the task was tomorrow and neither of them had it figured out.

"Miss Greening, just the person I was looking for, come with me please," she says shortly and Sasha gulps her internal monologue automatically trying to work out what she had done wrong.

"But Professor, I really need to…" she begins worrying at her bottom lip as was her habit when she was worried about something.

"They'll be fine without you Miss Greening, you are needed elsewhere," and with that she sweeps off down the corridor and Sasha has no choice but to follow her to her office where she sees Hermione, Ginny and a little girl from Beauxbatons.

"What's going on?" she asks her two friends with a worried frown,

"We're the things they have to retrieve," Hermione answers and Sasha's frown deepens for a second before her face flushes with realisation. Was she really that important to Cedric, for it was only him that could be matched to her? She knew he like her, the two had been inseparable since the ball and he had asked her two weeks ago if they could start officially dating and she had said yes. Although she had omitted that piece of information from her letters to Charlie, something within her couldn't quite let go of the dragon tamer and she didn't want him to know that she was dating. Of course she had no way of knowing that the twins had already told Charlie that Cedric and Sasha were official and he had decided to pretend he hadn't received that little bit of gossip. He was definitely not ready to admit to himself or anyone else that he had lost her.

"But I need to…" she starts again as her professor approaches her with a potion of some kind,

"They'll have to figure it out without you Miss Greening," she says not unkindly and with what Sasha thinks is a hint of amusement as Sasha sighs heavily and takes the potion giving Ginny and Hermione a small grimace and downing it quickly.

Sasha's head is foggy and everything seems to be pressing in on her heavily and she was cold. Really, really cold. For a while she struggles to open her eyes but can't until a tight band around her waist tightens even more so and she suddenly feels as though she is bursting through a glass window. Her eyes fly open and she fights a scream as she gasps for air, resulting in her choking and spluttering even as the person holding her begins dragging her across the water. By the time they reach the jetty that had been erected for the spectators, the twins were both there along with Ron, pulling her out and wrapping her in heavy blankets while she is still trying to catch her breath.

"Ced… Harry," she manages to splutter the two names and the twins move slightly so that a bedraggled Cedric could get closer to her, pulling her into his arms and holding on to her tightly and she relishes the feeling whilst feeling guilty too for the fact that it isn't Charlie. When Charlie held her she felt complete, she felt as if nothing could harm her when Cedric held her it felt… nice.

"I'm here Sash, I got you," he is whispering to her and blushes a little despite her chattering teeth and shivering.

"Where's Harry?" she asks after a moment and she sees them all glance back out towards the Black Lake making her jump up quickly and she probably would have fallen straight back in if Cedric and the twins hadn't leapt forward and grappled her back.

"You were first out Sash, give him time," George soothes and so she stands rigidly, Cedric behind her, his arms wound tightly around her waist and the twins standing either side of her. It felt to Sasha as if hours past before she saw Ginny break through the surface of the water and a moment later Harry appeared too and she sagged back against Cedric's chest in relief then before rushing forward and pulling Harry into her arms.

"Thank God," she murmurs and Harry grips her tightly back before smiling goofily at her in his self deprecating embarrassed way.

"You alright?" he asks her and she smiles, before jumping a little and flushing as Cedric appears beside her again and helps her up.

It is almost a week later when she is sitting at breakfast that the owl arrives and she rips open the letter eagerly, thinking it might be from her mum, it was her birthday soon and she was hoping her mum had remembered this year.

 _Princess_

 _Why the hell didn't you tell me that you were held in the Black Lake for the second task? You could have been killed!_

 _Anyway, I'm glad you're okay although I don't forgive you for not being the one to tell me and I'll write again soon and send your birthday present._

 _Yours_

 _Charlie_

She can't help the giddy delight at seeing her old nickname being used again. It felt like forever since she had heard or seen that name being used for her and it made her entire body sing with hope.

"Good morning beautiful," Cedric's voice washes over her like icy water as the guilt flows through her. Feeling suddenly sick she pushes her breakfast away from her and turns towards Cedric offering him a small smile.

"Good morning," she replies quietly trying to stay calm as she studies his face. He was handsome and kind and clever and any girl would be honoured to have him and she was. She liked him, she really did he just wasn't Charlie. Perhaps though this was just the way life was. That her true love was Charlie but like wasn't like the movies and the stories and he would never really love her back and so she would settle for Cedric. Although that sounded horrible, it was hardly settling, Cedric was perfect too and she was happy with him, truly she was and she was sure she could learn to love him just as much as she did Charlie. It is with this thought in mind that she decides that she would put her all into being with Cedric and she would eventually learn to stop loving Charlie and see him the way he saw her, as a friend and nothing more.

"You okay?" Cedric asks startling her from her musings and causing her to flush slightly with embarrassment.

"Yes, I'm fine, do you want to meet in the library after dinner to study?" she asks and his beam is all the answer she needs and she feels herself smiling in response too.

The next few weeks drift by fairly peacefully as the students prepare for exams and the champions prepare for the final task, Cedric and Harry receiving a lot of help from Sasha of course too. Charlie and Sasha were writing fairly regularly again now and ever since the second task she was being more honest with him. It finally seemed that life was slipping back into a pattern and she was so busy studying and revising for her exams and learning and teaching new spells to the two boys to use in the final task which they now knew was a maze, which was bound to be full of all kinds of horrible things, that she barely had time to panic or worry or think of anything else.

In actual fact the nerves don't set in until they reach the edge of the maze and see everyone there, including members of the ministry and Cedric's dad, Sasha suddenly feels like she has been punched in the stomach as the fear grips her and she stops moving entirely forcing both Harry and Cedric to stop too as they had both been walking with her.

"Don't do it," she whispers and both boys laugh at her but she just shakes her head and continues, "please don't go in there, it's too dangerous, it's not worth it please," she is saying, her voice thick with worry and the two boys glance at each other before Harry steps forward and wraps his arms around her quickly. He had always quite like how she was one of the few people who didn't make him feel small and under developed, she was so tiny that even he felt tall compared to her.

"I'll be okay Sash, I promise, you've taught me well and I promise not to take any stupid risks," he says quietly and she huffs out an incredulous laugh.

"That isn't saying much coming from you though is it Harry," she retorts with a weak smile, realising that she had to be brave for him and he smiles too, kissing her on the cheek and rushing off to see Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

"I promise you I will be fine," Cedric says as he steps in front of her and places his hands on her waist, her own hands having found themselves gripping the front of his robes.

"How can you be sure you'll be okay?" she asks unable to look at him and he smiles moving his hand to grip her chin and forcing her to look at him.

"Because I love you Sash, I'll always come back to you," he says and the shock that courses through her is so strong it makes her light headed.

"I love you too," she whispers back and his eyes light up with joy as he leans forward and kisses her suddenly.

"Then go cheer me on and I'll be back before you know it," he murmurs into her lips and kisses her again before pushing her towards where the twins are wolf whistling in the crowd, making her flush and rush to get them to shut up. Of course the twins are just trying to keep her mind occupied and are pleased that it works even momentarily as the four champions enter the maze one by one.

Silence seems to be surrounding her from every direction as they wait outside in the stands. Unable to see anything, not knowing what was happening, it was torture. Sasha sat biting her nails, fidgeting in her seat as her mind ran through every possible outcome, every possible creature, spell, trap that could be in there, that they could be encountering. She felt sick to her stomach and had never wished more for Charlie to be with her, his presence there to calm her and that in turn just made her feel guilty for thinking of Charlie when she had just told Cedric she loved him. That in turn made her feel guilty for thinking about her feelings and not about them, in mortal danger.


	11. Chapter 11

When Harry reappears with Cedric she feels her legs go momentarily weak with relief, a feeling that is short lived as she rushes forwards and sees that Harry is crying.

"Harry what's wrong? What is it?" she cries in a breathless voice as she reaches him turning her head to see Cedric and feeling the air suddenly knocked from her body. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered Harry talking about Voldemort being back, that it was him that had killed Cedric but she couldn't focus, she couldn't breathe. Cedric's eyes were wide and staring and there was a sickness building in her and she didn't know what to do.

Stumbling away she begins to run, she runs until her lungs are burning and her body is numb and she finds herself back in the common room. Silently she makes her way to her room where she lays on her bed trying to feel something other than terror and sickness and guilt and pain.

She doesn't remember much at all of the following weeks, it's all a haze of movement, she knows the others are worried but she can't seem to snap out of it. When she's numb it's easier, she can't feel then, it doesn't hurt quite as much. The train journey is too quiet and when she gets to the station it is to Mrs Weasley with a letter from her mother. She's gone away to try and heal, and she'll see her at Christmas. That sort of snapped it for Sasha, her mother didn't care, Charlie hadn't written in weeks, not since the letter she had received just before the final task, she was alone. She couldn't process what was happening, what had happened and she knew too that she should be stronger that she should be helping Harry, that just made her feel guiltier for not helping him more, he was grieving for Cedric too and she was doing nothing.

That was how the first two weeks at the Burrow went, she sat in silence by the pond or in her room, she barely ate, never spoke, and rarely slept, something which was worrying the others more and more.

"How you doing Titch?" Bill's voice is soft as he sits beside her by the pond at the back of the Burrow and she leans into him the second he puts his arm around her.

"I'm… fine," she replies after a while and she can feel him shake his head at her pulling her closer to him.

"It's me you're talking to Titch, no need to pretend, not anymore," he whispers and just like that the dam is broken and the tears start. For a long time he just sits and holds her as she sobs her heart out, his heart aching for his friend, someone he saw as a little sister, someone he was still hoping one day he could call family for real, if his brother ever got his act together that is.

"I just feel so guilty," she whimpers after a while and he pulls her around to face him slightly so that he could see her face.

"What do you mean Sash?" he asks gently and trying to let her know he wasn't going to judge her for whatever she had to say.

"I never really loved him, he… he told me he loved me just before he went into the… the maze and I said it back but I didn't mean it, not really, and then when he… he was… I was just so pleased it wasn't Harry and I feel sick when I think about it how could I be so evil?" she asks her face paler than he'd seen it since she heard the news about her father and it pained him that she'd been keeping this all locked away.

"Oh Sash, sweetheart, he knew you cared and he died believing he was loved, you did a great thing for him please don't feel guilty about that," he murmurs as he pulls her into him again holding her tightly as her tears start afresh.

"Make it stop hurting Bill, please," she sobs and his heart breaks as he hears her pain in every word she spoke.

"Shhh Sash, it will be okay, I promise you it will get easier," he whispers rocking her gently, his arms tight around her and wishing that Charlie was here to be with her, she needed him right now.

They stay like that by the pond until her breathing evens out and he realises that she has cried herself to sleep. A sleep he thinks may be the first real one she has had in many a long week.

Picking her up gently so as not to wake her he carries her inside and settles her on the sofa, looking up as a blanket flies into his hand and seeing Mrs Weasley and the twins standing there.

"She okay?" asks George in concern and Bill gives him a grim look as if to say he doesn't know what to do.

"She will be, she just… we just need to look out for her," Mrs Weasley says quietly and Fred growls a bit which makes them all look towards him.

"Charlie should be here," he says by way of an explanation and George nods in agreement with his brother.

"Now boys you know how busy he's been," Molly starts trying to defend her son but the derisive snort from the twins stops her in her tracks.

"He's the one she needs we all know that, he knows that, he should be here," they try again but her stirring stops them all and they quickly leave and head into the kitchen to continue their conversation. Bill watches her for a moment longer until she has settled and then goes to the kitchen to quickly pen a letter to his brother.

 _Charlie,_

 _I know you think staying away is for the best but I'm here and you're wrong! You need to get home now, she is broken Charlie and she needs you. I think you're the only one that can get to her and if you truly love her you'll do this for her._

 _Bill_

He sends the letter off with Sasha's owl watching the bird disappear into the darkening sky before turning and rushing into the living room as he hears her screaming. It had been like this since it had happened, she would sleep for an hour at most before she woke up screaming. She was in a permanent daze, their conversation earlier had been the most coherently she had spoken since it had happened and Bill was worried. He knew the others were too and that scared him even more, she had lost a lot already, her father, watching her mother disappear into pills and drink, Charlie pulling away from her and now Cedric.

It's two days later that the whole family are suddenly moved to Grimmauld place where they are joined by the rest of the order, all except Charlie and his absence is an increasing cause of frustration with the family especially the twins who have taken it upon themselves to write several angry letters. Everything changes though when Harry arrives, he is angrier than ever and the despair rolls off him in waves as it does with Sasha being in a room with either one is almost suffocating for the others and she has avoided him completely and he her, both filled with guilt until Hermione, Ron and Ginny plot with the twins to push them together and so a week after Harry arrives he finds himself locked in a room with her and for a while they are both completely silent.

"How are you?" he asks after the silence has become unbearable and his voice sounds too formal and stiff even to his own ears.

"I'm okay, how are you?" she responds equally as formally, equally as stiffly and the silence falls over them once more. Sasha sits in the corner, her hands twisting into knots in her lap and her lip red raw from her nervous biting of it.

"I'm so sorry Sasha," Harry suddenly bursts out as he takes a step towards her, "I did everything I could please, I'm so sorry, just… don't hate me," her head snaps up as her eyes search out his, shock colouring her features and she realises very suddenly that her grief, her silence, had been seen by him as blame for letting Cedric die and it broke her heart. She had been so wrapped up in her own head, in her own pain that she had failed to see the true extent of Harry's pain and she now knew that she couldn't do to him what her mother had done to her. She couldn't shut down she had to snap out of it. Cedric would want her to live, he would want her to be happy and one day they would see one another again, she had to live for Harry, for the Weasley's.

"Harry," she whispers, her voice hoarse as she reaches for him and takes his hand in hers, "I never blamed you, not for a second, I love you, you know that right, whether by blood or not you are my little brother and I would do anything for you," she says earnestly and she is forcefully pulled into his arms as he cries and she is the one who gets to offer comfort.

"I'm sorry," he says again once his tears have dried and they are sitting side by side on the sofa in the corner of the room.

"I told you, you have nothing to apologise for, he… Ced wouldn't have wanted you to feel guilty," she says swallowing thickly and Harry grips her hand tightly in his.

"Have you heard from Charlie?" he asks now to change the subject slightly and she stiffens slightly before pulling out a letter from her pocket.

"This arrived this morning but I haven't had the guts to open it yet," she admits handing the letter to him and nodding for him to open it and read it first which he does so before reading it aloud to her.

 _Princess_

 _I wish more than anything on this earth that I could be there with you now but things are… difficult here at the moment. I promise you I am safe and so are the dragons but I can't get away. I know you were close to Cedric and what has happened, oh I'm so rubbish at writing this down, I'm sorry._

 _Be strong my little dragon tamer, I'll be home to see you soon, I promise I am trying and I promise I will be here to listen even if it's only through letters, please do not shut yourself away. Talk to the others, talk to Bill and Harry and the twins and stop trying to be so strong all the time. You are allowed to cry Sash, you are allowed to be vulnerable so do it, I will not be happy if I find out you are making yourself ill out of some misguided sense of guilt. You are more important to me than anything you know that, he would be proud of you and he would want you to be healthy too, so listen to what they are saying and be safe princess._

 _I really do wish I was there, I… miss you_

 _Charlie_

She giggles a little when Harry finishes reading and hands back the letter which she carefully folds and places back in her pocket.

"He knows you well," Harry comments, smiling himself and wondering how on earth a witch as clever as the one siting beside him hasn't worked out that the dragon tamer is in love with her. Opening his mouth to say something he quickly shuts it again when he realises that now is not the time.

"Thank you Harry, I needed… I don't know what but thank you," she says quietly and he instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulder and squeezes her gently before the door swinging open draws their attention to Bill who is standing leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed as he watches the two of them.

"Well I for one am starving," Harry says jumping up and pulling her up to. As soon as Sasha is on her feet however the dizziness starts and she sways violently causing Bill to leap forward and Harry to whirl round to steady her.

"You okay titch?" Bill asks after a tense second and she shakes her head a little as if to clear it,

"Yeah, fine, sorry, just a bit light headed, think I'm just hungry," she whispers and Bill shoots Harry a grateful look which confuses the boy no end but nevertheless he moves out and towards the kitchen, glancing back at his adopted big sister every now and then. It was the first time she had admitted hunger since the summer started despite the fact that she had been practically starving herself. It was the first time she had admitted any feeling and it made a little flutter of hope appear in Bill's heart.

"Come on then let's grab some dinner before my brothers get there and eat it all," he says and is rewarded with a tiny giggle, a sound which causes that tiny piece of hope to grow.

"Okay," she responds before adding, "I got an owl from Charlie today," and he continues this little conversation as they make their way slowly to the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

**Two Years later**

The last two years had been tough for Sasha, she had faced a new demon in Professor Umbridge, lost Fred and George as they flew out of school early, dealt with the pitying glances and stares from everyone at school and fought at the department of mysteries. She had eventually graduated and whilst she visited the Burrow often and was a staunch member of the order she had spent most of her year since graduating working at the twins shop and caring for her mother who was still battling depression and the drink.

Now at eighteen years old she was struggling herself to find a place in the world. A world which was becoming increasingly darker and more dangerous, especially for muggleborn witches such as herself. She lived at home with her mother and for the most part felt pretty cut off from the wizarding world. She wanted to live with the twins but the last thing Dumbledore had said to her was that she must remain with her mother where she would be safer, his death had been another terrible blow but she had somehow managed to keep it together, perhaps because she wasn't there and she felt she needed to be stronger for Harry. Or maybe it was because his death was still so recent it was yet to sink in properly. Charlie and herself still wrote to each other often, they exchanged letters at least once a fortnight and their friendship was more open than ever, omitting the part that they were in love with one another and the fact that they haven't seen each other in over two years.

 _Princess_

 _I have good news, despite everything that it going on I have managed to get some leave and will be home for Bill's wedding. I can't wait to see you again, I'll be arriving a couple of days before the wedding so I'll see you then._

 _Yours_

 _Charlie_

When she receives the letter she feels herself smile for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile at least. She could not express how much she missed and needed Charlie and the thought alone scared her too. She had finally let go of most of the guilt around Cedric's death, although it may be that the guilt had simply been eclipsed by all the other things going on. It is with her mind swimming with these thoughts that she heads home to the day before Charlie arrives and gets ready to pack for her own trip to the Burrow. A trip she always relished since her own home had become so cold, so unrecognisable from the happy childhood home she had known.

Sunlight is beginning to creep over the horizon when Charlie arrives at the gate to his home and for a moment he simply stands and gazes at his own childhood home, a familiar homely joy filling him as well as slight apprehension at seeing Sasha again. He really had wanted to come home and be with her after Cedric's death but work had not allowed him and since then he had talked himself out of it each time. She was too young, although now she was eighteen, he shakes his head as soon as the thought enters it, she isn't interested like that. Instead he heads towards the kitchen and begins to make himself a cup of tea.

By the time the house begins to stir he has begun to make breakfast, knowing full well his mum will take over and re do everything.

"Charlie dear," Molly squeals as she enters the kitchen and pulls him to her in a bear hug and he smiles as he holds her just as tightly.

"Hi mum," he replies when she finally lets him go and bustles around the kitchen ordering him to sit down. An hour or two later the whole family are awake and eating breakfast all talking about the wedding, although Charlie notices that Harry is unusually quiet and preoccupied, it made his own chest clench a little to imagine the suffering he had been through, he was sixteen but looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, he does have the weight of the world on his shoulders he supposed.

"Where's Sash?" Fred asks suddenly and they all look up and around at each other,

"She was supposed to be here like an hour ago," George adds glancing at his brothers as if to ask their advice.

"I'm sure she just got caught up getting her stuff together and making sure her mums okay," Ron says, his mouth still full and the general consensus is that this is exactly what had happened and so the family continued to reconnect and prepare for the wedding that would take place in a couple of days. By the time it reaches early evening though the Weasley's are beginning to get worried about where she may have got to.

"We should go and get her," George says as they are setting the table for dinner and Fred nods his head in agreement.

"She probably just lost track of time," Ron suggests but the others are no longer convinced.

"Have you ever known Sasha to lose track of time, she's an older version of Hermione?" Harry says,

"Hey," Hermione retorts but she knows its true and their is worry beginning to creep into all of their tones as they speak now.

"Besides she'd never be later knowing that Charlie would be here," Bill says and there is no mocking in the statement and even the twins don't say anything, that's when they truly begin to worry for their friend.

"I'm going to get her, Bill, you know where she lives can you aparate me there," Charlie says abruptly as he stands and Bill stands too, along with their father.

"I'm coming too, it's dangerous out there these days," he explains briefly and they quickly leave the house and aparate to an alleyway not far from Sasha's house.

As soon as they arrive they know something is very wrong, smoke is billowing into the air and there are the sounds of sirens and screams everywhere. Fear enters the pits of their stomach, fear that is multiplied as they round the corner and see dark mark floating heavily in the sky above the wreckage that used to be Sasha's house.

"No," It's the only word that Charlie can force from his mouth as the three men stand and look at the crumbling brick work and hum of activity going on around them.

"Quick, we need to see for certain, the ministry will be here any minute," Arthur says urgently pushing both of his sons forward and into the shell of a house. Despite being destroyed, sound seems strangely muffled once they entered and it takes a few minutes to realise that there are still wards up. Death eaters had gotten through the wards on the house then, they were getting stronger, a thought that makes all of their stomachs clench uncomfortably.

"Sash," Bill whispers into the darkness as they begin to hunt around the house, "Sash it's us where are you sweetheart?" he tries again but still silence. Then out of the darkness they hear a whimper and all move towards it lighting their wands as they go.

"Princess?" Charlie is breathless as he calls her, his heart stopping as their wand lights fall on her face.

Sitting in the corner of the room, her mothers head held in her lap, Sasha is rocking and whimpering. Her mother is dead, Avada had been used it was almost certain and it looked like Sasha had put up a good fight, she is covered in cuts and bruises that are already forming and her wand is still gripped tightly in her hand.

"Sasha," Arthur starts moving towards her stopping as she raises her wand, her eyes unfocused and only sensing threat.

"Sash," Bill tries but the same thing happens and he too stops hands raised and backing away from her slightly.

"Princess," Charlie's voice is quiet and thick with panic for her and something in it makes her head snap round to him, her eyes coming into focus for just a second as she sees his face.

"Charlie?" she whispers before looking down and seeing her mother staring lifelessly up at her and screaming, she screams and screams until her throat is sore, her wand waving erratically in the air not allowing anyone near her, "Charlie," she says the name again at last as her knees weaken and her wand drops and he is there gathering her towards him, wincing as she does when his hands hit upon fresh wounds.

"I'm right here princess, I'm here," he murmurs and she looks up at him reaching a shaking hand for his face as if she doesn't believe he is there before she goes completely limp in his arms. Charlie turns his stricken face towards his brother and his father.

"Get her home, Bill go with them, I need to sort things out here," Arthur says quickly and they begin to move again before Charlie stops and turns back towards his dad.

"What about…?" he can't finish the thought aloud as he looks down towards the woman that looked so much like the girl in his arms, lying dead on the floor.

"We'll make sure she gets a proper burial, it'll be rushed through," he replies and with a nod they separate and leave.

"You got her final…" George's voice trails off as the family rush in behind him and take in Bill and Charlie's ashen faces and the unconscious Sasha held protectively in Charlie's arms.

"What happened? Where's your father?" Molly says in that scary calm voice that betrayed her panic and fear.

"Death eater attack, they… they killed her mum, Dad's there sorting things out," Bill says quietly and they all seem to freeze in shock.

"But… she…" the words won't form properly, the shock that is permeating the room is making it difficult to focus on anything much.

"She fought them off we think, won't know more until she wakes up, I'm taking her upstairs," Charlie says gruffly before turning and moving straight to his room where he settles her down on his bed and conjures up a chair to sit beside her.

"Charlie," he turns his head to see his mother in the doorway, holding a plate of food and a drink.

"I'm not hungry," he states wearily as he turns back to her watching her face, the frown lines and creases of pain and grief present even in unconsciousness.

"Be that as it may, you need to keep your strength up and I need to tend to her wounds," she says in her usual motherly way as she bustles forwards putting the food and drink on the desk before taking her wand out and starting her healing spells.

"She looks so broken mum," he whispers as he watches her and she stops for a second looking down at her son as he sat beside her unmoving as he watched her.

"She has just lost her mother in the most unimaginable way but she is strong just be there for her son, she needs you now," Molly says gently as she finishes placing the last bandage and then leaves quietly so that he is alone with her again.


	13. Chapter 13

It is hours later when she wakes screaming, just as she had after Cedric had died, the nightmares were worse now though. So much worse. She feels as though she is lost and even though she can see them all, hear them all, she can't find her way back to them. Back to herself. So many had died, her father, her mother, her boyfriend, her mentor, Sirius it was as if everyone she was close to was being taken from her and she was terrified that one of the Weasley's or Harry or Hermione would be next.

The wedding is a horrible mix of guilt, grief and jealousy for her and she is aware of Charlie by her side throughout, constantly throwing worried glances her way but she manages to pretend things are okay. She smiles and greets people, she makes small talk and yet it is all empty and hollow and the twins are horrified to watch their vibrant and joyful best friend reduced to the empty shell they were watching now. Of course it all ends when the death eaters attack and Charlie is quick to grab her and throw her under a table as she just stands there. He has never been more scared than he is in that moment as he watches her stand there, as if accepting death, waiting for it to claim her and the thought of losing her strikes a new terror into his heart.

When the fighting is over and everyone is gone, she draws in on herself more than ever realising that Harry, Hermione and Ron had gone too the guilt she felt was too much and so she just shut down. She stopped sleeping or eating or talking altogether and even Charlie was unable to get through to her.

"I don't know what to do," Charlie sighs as he sits on the sofa a few days later, "she's making herself ill but I can't get through to her and I don't feel safe taking her to St Mungo's with the way things are," he puts his head in his hands and Bill places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe you should take her back to Romania with you," he suggests quietly after a while and Charlie's head shoots up to look at him and the twins who are also nodding in response.

"It's too dangerous," he grunts shaking his head but both the twins jump in at this point,

"It's not as if this place is any safer at the moment," Fred says immediately and Charlie can't deny that this is the truth.

"Look mate, Sasha is out best friend, we love her life family and she is hurting, we can't do anything to help her but you might, she's always held onto the hope that you'd take her to Romania someday," George says carefully, knowing that he had to be specific about the way he worded things around his stubborn older brother.

"And what makes you think I'll be any better with her, I've not seen her in two years before this summer, she's not responding to me either?" Charlie asks not daring to get his hopes up that they may know she feels something for him too. She was hurting too much for him to concentrate on anything other than her health.

"You saw her at her house Charlie, you were the only one she was even able to recognise, you've always had special relationship and surely it's worth a try right? We could lose her completely if we don't try," Bill says quietly and after a while and with a heavy sigh he nods his head and Bill tells him to go and prepare Sasha while he sorted an international port key and the twins went to tell the rest of the family.

Entering the bedroom Charlie stands for a moment watching her sleep, restlessly, she never slept for longer than an hour and her exhaustion rolled off her as she struggled to focus on anything, the lack of food draining her energy to a point where she could barely stand. It was true that she was most definitely no longer a child, she had grown in the last two years into a very beautiful woman, even with her current situation it would be difficult to deny that she was beautiful. Sure enough only a few moments after he enters the room she sits up screaming, clutching her head as dizziness sweeps through her and her body shakes.

"Shh, it's okay princess, I'm here," he whispers as he steps forward but she doesn't respond and he sighs internally, praying that this would work because he didn't think he could stand watching her wither and die before him. "Listen Sash, we're going to go on a trip okay, I have to go back to the reserve tonight and you're going to come with me for a bit is that okay?" he knows she won't respond but he thinks he sees a small spark of something in her eyes when he tells her and he clings to that as he pulls out her bag and packs her things for her, trying desperately not to blush and eventually giving up and calling Ginny in to pack her underwear and get her dressed and ready whilst he went and packed his own things.

"Goodbye sweetheart, look after yourself and our Sash," Molly says tearfully an hour later as they stand by the garden gate, Arthur had arranged for a port key to be ready just outside the village that would take them straight back to the reserve in Romania.

"Keep her safe Charlie and keep your wits about you, it's well known by now that she's a target and that she survived," he says quietly to his son as they both glance at Sasha who is standing stiffly in Molly's arms as she hugs her tightly before passing her off to Ginny and the twins.

The sky is dark as they begin their walk, she is struggling, too exhausted to move quickly and it only makes his worry for her increase as he bends and sweeps her into his arms so they can move more quickly and she doesn't complain. She hated been treated like a damsel in distress, it reminds him of the time after the Quidditch World Cup when she had been injured and yet still too stubborn to let anyone carry her until he had practically guilt tripped her into it.

"Nearly there princess, we'll be home soon, I can finally show you all the dragons like I promised," he speaks quietly so as not to startle her or alert anyone to their whereabouts but he speaks throughout their short journey, to comfort himself as much as her.

Reaching the port key he is careful not to relinquish his grip on her as he pulls her round to face him and make sure that she was looking him in the eye and understanding what he was saying.

"I need you to hold onto me and to the port key do you understand?" he asks and she nods her head a tiny amount at him as she grips his robes with one hand and reaches the other out towards the old coke can that he held. His heart lifts a tiny amount when she does that, it was the most communication any of them had had for days and he gripped to the hope that he would be able to get her back from the catatonic state she seemed to be in.

Landing is awkward with Sasha in his arms but he manages it and brushes off the curious glances and questions from his work friends and others on the reserve, pulling her closer and shielding her face from everyone knowing how much she would hate this attention. Just the thought of her indignant flush and exclamations brought a tiny smile to his face followed by a pang of pain that struck his heart.

"Here we are princess, home," he whispers as he enters his home on the reserve and leads her through to the bedroom, settling her down to sleep and planning on going out to the sofa.

"Please," the word stops him dead in his tracks halfway to the door as he turns back to her his eyes alight with hope and concern.

"What is it princess? What do you need?" he asks moving back towards her and crouching down beside her taking in her frightened pale face and sighing internally.

"I'm so tired Charlie," she murmurs her voice catching and his heart clenches as he takes in her fragile state, he had never seen her so vulnerable and he hated it. His hand automatically finds her face, gently stroking the hair back from her face.

"I know princess, I know," he sighs, "you're safe here, you can sleep here, you need to," he tells her desperately and she nods a tiny amount before catching his hand in hers as he moves to leave the room.

"Please," she says again as he turns back to her, "please don't leave," he smiles at her and for once neither blush or feel uncomfortable as he climbs onto the bed and pulls her to him holding her securely against his chest. For a moment Charlie is struck with the memory of the night they had spent together at Hogwarts in a small hut conjured by Dumbledore, how much had changed since that night he thought and how much had stayed the same. They were different people now, older, wiser, wearier and yet they both still gravitated towards each other, they both still needed each other and they were both still hurt and scared for what the future held.

When Sasha wakes up it seems to take her forever to pull herself from her mind, her whole body heavy and lethargic. When she finally opens her eyes she feels like she has slept for the first time in years but yet still felt exhausted. Turning her head she sees Charlie sitting by her side a plate of sandwiches and a glass of milk on a tray in his lap.

"How are you feeling?" he asks quietly, his entire body tense with concern for her and she offered him a weak smile, the first attempt at a smile since the wedding which lifts his heart a little.

"Tired, but a bit better," she answers hoarsely and he smiles too then, moving the tray to one side and helping her to sit up before passing the tray to her.

"You need to eat something princess then you can sleep some more," he starts and she moves to say something so he continues quickly, "don't worry I'm not going anywhere, I promise, I'll be right here the whole time," he finishes and she offers him another tiny smile before managing to eat two of the sandwiches and drinking the glass of milk.

"Thank you Charlie," she whispers as she settles down again already drifting back into an exhausted sleep as his fingers once again find themselves brushing the hair gently from her face before gathering her towards him and holding her tightly, hoping that he was showing he would keep her safe, praying that it would keep her nightmares at bay for long enough that she could recover a little.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N - Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the delay and for the problems with the formatting of this chapter. Hopefully all the issues have been ironed out now and all will be good. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and finally our two lovebirds seem to be making some headway, lets hope they'll get a truly happy ending one day. As always please read and like and review your comments and likes mean a lot to me and keep me inspired to write!**

It has been nearly two months since Charlie brought Sasha to Romania with him and she was finally beginning to come back to herself. She still woke nearly every night screaming and filled with terror but now at least she was able to sleep afterwards again. She was beginning to eat more and was regaining some weight and colour. She had even begun to talk a little more and have conversations with Charlie. Last week he had come home from work to find her talking to one of his colleagues and as he watched he could see for the first time that the conversation and her smile were genuine and not forced or faked and it lifted his heart to see it.

He spent his day under the hot Romanian sun moving through his duties almost mechanically as he worries about Sasha. As usual by the time he has finished work he is itching to return home and as he approaches his hut he sees her, sitting silently on the porch bench, legs up and arms wrapped round them. She is wearing one of his t-shirts, a habit that he would never tire of as he loved seeing her in his clothes far too much, and a pair of leggings. Despite the simple clothing and the lack of makeup, despite the fact that her hair was tied in a messy bun on the top of her head she looked beautiful in setting sun.

"Hey Princess, what you doing?" he asks quietly as he puts his bag down by the door and sits beside her. She doesn't look at him but the way she automatically leans into his body not only lifts his heart but lets him know that she has heard him and so they sit in silence, enjoying the sunset while he waits for her to be ready to speak to him.

"I'm all alone now Charlie," she whispers after a while and he turns to look at her in confusion and concern.

"What are you talking about Sash? We're all here, I am here," he says urgently, trying to show her through his tone how sincere he is and she turns to him finally, tears swimming in her eyes as she stares up at him.

"I'm so tired of being weak," she says now and he sighs as his arm wraps around her automatically, shocked when she pushes him away and stands suddenly moving towards the steps that lead down and away from the house.

"Sash…" he begins standing too but keeping his distance to allow her to come to him if she needed, briefly musing over the fact that lately he seemed to be treating her in a way not dissimilar to the way he treated injured dragons.

"It's like the last seven years of my life have been a blur of weakness and pain and I hate it Charlie. I am so sick of crying and screaming and hurting. I'm sick of being so dependent on people and pushing them away at the same time. I am sick of feeling guilty. I hate it Charlie, I hate it and I hate that I'm still scared. I'm scared for those that I have left, I'm scared that I'm going to lose you all and that I'll never be able to feel normal again," she is almost panting when she finishes her rant her legs shaking as she moves back to the bench and sinks heavily into it.

For a long moment neither of them move as he takes in everything she has said. Eventually though he moves forward, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands gently in his own.

"You are not weak princess, you have suffered more than most people have to suffer in a life time and there is no shame in needing help through those times, you know that and no matter how hard you try to you could never lose us, you could never lose me," he says earnestly and she glances up at him a flush already burning on her cheeks.

"What about when you find someone… when you fall in love and start a family?" she asks, her breath catching and her face burning as she realises that she has just said that out loud and Charlie feels his own face flush and his heart speed up as he realises that this is his chance to tell her but he isn't entirely sure he's ready, or if she is ready, if she feels the same.

"Never going to happen princess," he murmurs, his voice sounding thick with emotion as he attempted to control himself, years of pent up and hidden feelings threatening to break free.

"It will one day though Charlie, as much as I want to… I can't… you," she breaks off with a sigh and turns her head away, gasping softly as he grasps her chin suddenly and pulls her back round to face him.

"I will never leave you Sasha, I promise you that, never," he says, so seriously that she smiles despite herself and nods a tiny bit, her heart thundering so quickly she felt almost sick with it.

"Thank you," she whispers, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek before standing and announcing that she was going to get some sleep.

For the next few days she stays very quiet as she thinks things through. She knew now that she must begin living again, that no matter what had happened, what was still likely to happen in this war, she needed to be strong. Her parents were together again and they were watching over her, just as Cedric and Dumbledore and Sirius were. She knew that she must start living in the present if she was to help win this fight and save those she had left. Guilt was beginning to seep back in to her thoughts as she thought of Harry, Hermione and Ron out there alone, they would be struggling without her and she should get back to them. Of course the twins had been writing coded notes to Charlie and it had been communicated that the rest of the family were safe and that Sasha should stay there, she was on the wanted list now and it would be virtually suicide for her to travel back to England but she couldn't see how she could stay there without doing anything to help. She had always been there to help and she needed to be now too. Then there was Charlie. Just the idea of staying with him made her heart flutter and her stomach churn, her love for him was just strong as ever, stronger even since he had helped her, seen her at her most vulnerable and still stuck with her but now… she was beginning to think that he may feel something for her too. She would never have believed it, never have hoped it but something in his voice and his eyes when he had promised to never leave her…

Sighing in frustration, she throws herself onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling. It was times like this that she really needed Hermione or Ginny to talk things through with because she really didn't know what to do. Should she tell him how she feels? She know's him well enough to know that he would never tell her how he felt if she didn't go first but could she really risk it if he didn't feel the same. If she did tell him and he saw her only as a sister it would crush her and it would ruin them.

"Somebody just give me a sign," she growls into the empty house, freezing as she hears a sudden crash from the living room. She is on her feet in an instant, her wand held tightly in her hand, heart beating wildly as she creeps out into the short corridor and down towards the living room. Silently she peers around the corner and surveys the empty room, letting out a sigh of relief as she sees the open window and the smashed picture on the floor. The breeze must have knocked it down. nevertheless she casts a few charms to check there is no one else in the house and when she is satisfied she is alone she moves out and casts a quick 'repairo' to fix the broken frame and fix it. A smile spreading across her face as she sees the picture. It is the one she had sent him all those years ago, of her dancing with the twins at the Yule Ball and glancing around she sees it is the only picture he has displayed in the house and that makes up her mind for her. She would tell him, tonight, and then she would leave to find Harry and help win this war so that she may hope for happiness with Charlie, or for him at least if he did not return her feelings.

Her resolve was set though and despite the knot that had settled in her stomach she showered and dressed in shorts and a t shirt, brushing through her hair and then going to sit on the porch to let her hair dry naturally, she liked to let it dry the muggle way, and await Charlie's return from work.

"Hey Princess," the voice and use of her nickname startles her and causes heat to flush through her as she looks up and smiles. His own heart swells and he feels his smile widening as he sees her looking better, healthier and happier than she had since… well since before the Quidditch World Cup.

"Charlie, will you… I mean… can we… do you want to go for a walk with me?" she stutters, internally reprimanding herself, how would she ever tell him how she felt if she couldn't even ask that properly.

"Of course, let me just dump this and then we'll go," he says excitedly throwing his bag inside the house and grabbing her hand, leading her away from the house.

They walk for an hour or so, Charlie showing her the sights, the dragons and the mountains and the lake and relishing every gasp and excited noise that she makes, her fingers squeezing his and her other hand occasionally grabbing at his arm as she sees a dragon take flight or something catches her sight in a way that takes him back to the afternoon of the World Cup when everything had been so new and full of magic for her. Eventually, he leads her to a little outcrop overlooking the lake, the mountains serving as a backdrop for the setting sun and they sit for a while in silence just watching the beauty of sky as it lit everything up with purples and oranges and reds.

"It's beautiful," she murmurs and he nods in response although his eyes never leave her, he doesn't think that he has ever seen her look more beautiful than she did in this moment, a happy contented look on her face for the first time in years and the sunset reflecting off of her skin making it glow slightly.

"How are you feeling?" he asks after a while and she turns to smile at him briefly before looking back over the lake.

"Much better," she responds before taking a deep breath and turning to face him again, "I do have something I need to tell you though and I don't know how you'll respond and it's… it's really hard to, to say so I need you to be quiet and just listen okay," she says and his face shows his confusion and his concern are visible on his face even as he nods slowly and she takes another deep breath and closes her eyes. It would be easier to say this if she wasn't looking at him she decides as she turns to stare out at the darkening lake once more. "Charlie Weasley I'm in love with you," she suddenly exclaims in a rush, feeling her face flush deeply and letting her breath out shakily.

"You mean it?" he asks and something about his tone of voice makes her turn to look at him and she nods her head, gasping as he suddenly pulls her towards him and kisses her gently.

She doesn't think she could ever do justice to that kiss in a description and neither does he. It is like coming home for the first time, like being complete and whole and happy for the first time in their lives, as if up until now they had been living their lives in black and white and now everything was in glorious technicolour. It was cliched and sounded ridiculous but it was the truth and it was incredible and intense, although that may have something to do with the fact that they had been hiding their feelings from one another for so long.

"I have loved you for so long, too long," he whispers to her when they part, foreheads pressed against one another and breath mingling.

"Really?" she asks her eyes shining and he smiles moving away slightly and tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, leaving his palm resting against her cheek. "I always assumed you just thought I was an annoying little kid hanging around that just sort of became your best friend," she muses and he laughs.

"I think the second I saw you the summer of your fifth year at the qudditch cup I knew I was in trouble," he smiles and she smiles in response before her own smile slips slightly.

"I have to leave soon though," she says sadly and he starts pulling her around to face him and letting his worry show in his face and voice as he speaks.

"What are you talking about princess?" he asks and she sighs, letting her fingers trace across the features of his face briefly and delighting in the fact that she could do this freely now, as she had wished to do for so many years.

"I have to go back and help Harry and Hermione and Ron," she says quietly and he tenses even further, pulling her hands into his, his eyes pleading with her, despite the fact that he could tell her mind was made up and she was too stubborn for her own good, it was part of the reason he loved her.

"It's too dangerous Sash, the twins, they said, you're being hunted," he tries and she smiles again, leaning forward to kiss him softly.

"I have to Charlie, I have to try to help," she whispers when she pulls away and he hangs his head slightly, her hands still held firmly in his own.

"I can't go with you Sash, I can't protect you," he murmurs and she sighs a little leaning into his chest as he lets go of her hands and winds his arms around her body pulling her flush against him as they gaze out into the darkness.

"You have to trust me Charlie, and I can go knowing that you love me, I have something to fight for, our future," she says quietly and his arms tighten around her his head buried against her neck, his lips grazing against her neck in a way that made her shudder.

"I love you more than anything and I trust you above anyone, I don't want you to go but you better promise me you won't take any risks, stay safe for me princess so that we have a future together after all of this is done," he mutters into her skin and she nods her head, her heart feeling both lighter and heavier than it had in a long time, a feeling that caused knots of joy and tension to build within her. Why couldn't things ever just be easy and simple?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated it's been manic here but here is just a little chapter to fill a gap and get the story moving again. As always please read and review and let me know what you think and what you want to happen and I'll do my best to match everything. At the end of the day I am a writer and therefore am always seeking to improve so any constructive comments are worthwhile and it is equally just lovely to know that you are enjoying my work!**

It is a further week before plans are ready and she is ready to start back for England. Charlie has managed to source an illegal port key which would take her back to somewhere near Somerset, a rural area where she was less likely to be found and then it would be up to her to find the others. She had spent much of the week mapping places they may go and had narrowed it down to five or six places and she had promised that if she couldn't find them within the first month of being home she would make her way back to the twins who would get her back to Romania where she would be safe until she worked out her next move.

"It's time," he says quietly as he stands in the doorway and watches her put the last of her things into the tiny bag on which she had placed a charm she had developed with Hermione after their experiences at the Quidditch World Cup and seeing the tents there.

"I know," she sighs as she turns to face him trying desperately to stop the tears from welling, "I'm going to miss you so much," she smiles weakly as she steps towards him.

"I love you Sash, so much, just, be safe for me okay," he murmurs into her hair as he holds her to him tightly and for a moment she isn't sure she can leave such is the longing to stay in his embrace.

"I promise, I'll be back with you in no time, we'll be together again," she whispers to him and his answering sigh stutters slightly as he tightens his grip on her.

"You better, I've only just got you and I don't want to lose you now princess," his words send a little thrill of excitement through her and cause a blush to raise up from her neck across her face. She was still getting her head around the fact that she can finally tell him how she feels and that he returns those feelings and a little piece of her felt guilty for feeling so unfeasibly happy considering what was happening in the world.

"Goodbye Charlie, I love you," she whispers as she steps away from him and moves to take hold of the crumpled piece of paper on the table.

"Goodbye Princess, be safe my little dragon tamer," he smiles although she can tell it is forced but before she can say anything else the familiar pulling behind her bellybutton starts and then she is gone.

The wind is bitingly cold compared to the warmth of the reserve in Romania and she feels bereft and anxious not having Charlie there but taking a deep breath quickly assess' her surroundings and begins to work out how to find Harry and the others.

Two weeks later and she is beginning to realise just how completely hopeless this was and how completely ridiculous she had been thinking that she could find them so easily. She had been to every possible place she could think of and there was no sign of them and she was beginning to lose hope. She wanted Charlie, his calm and reassuring warmth surrounding her as it always had and the love that he had for her that she now knew of, she needed him, she needed help.

"Sasha?" the voice is a whispered question and she spins quickly wand out and gazing wildly around her until her eyes land on the grubby figure of Ron Weasley and she is embarrassed by the whimper that escapes her as she lurches towards him.

"Oh God, I thought I'd never find you, where are the others? What happened to you? Are you okay?" questions pour from her mouth as she clings to him and he holds her back just as tightly.

"I'm fine," he reassures her before pulling away slightly and looking at her properly, she was thin and dirty but she had the fire back in her eyes and looked more like the girl he remembered from all those years ago when the twins first brought her home for the holidays and it makes him smile.

"How are you? Where's Charlie?" he asks deflecting her questions about the others,

"I'm… better," she says with a small smile although thinking of Charlie makes her heart simultaneously lift and fall, "Charlie, he had to stay in Romania but he'll be here when he can, when its all over," she answers and he nods in understanding.

"We should get moving, we need to find the others," he says after a moments hesitation and she frowns slightly.

"What do you mean find them? Aren't they with you?" she asks quietly and he flinches at her words which makes her stomach clench uncomfortably. "Ron, what happened?" she asks more urgently and he sighs, turning away from her as he speaks.

"I left them," he murmurs eventually, "I was carrying the horcrux and I was so angry and jealous and I couldn't cope so I left, travelled alone, realised what a twat I had been and have been trying to find them ever since but I think I'm on to them, I think we're close," he finishes and she stares at him for a moment, processing what he has said before moving to stand beside him and take his hand.

"Come on then, we should get going, they'll need us," she says quietly and he stares at her for a moment in complete shock.

"Aren't you mad at me for leaving?" he asks incredulously and she sighs a little before offering him a gentle smile and squeeze of the fingers.

"I can hardly be mad at someone for checking out for a while considering what I did can I?" she speaks quietly, gently and there is guilt laced through her tone as she does.

"Sash, we understood you know that right, we were just worried?" He is speaking as quickly and earnestly as he can and she laughs a little in response squeezing his fingers again.

"I know and… thank you, let's focus on finding the others and getting rid of that snaky areshole right now though," she says and he smiles too pulling her into a sidelong hug as they begin walking.

It is nearly four hours later when they hear splashing and rushing silently through the trees see Harry struggling under the water. Ron acts instinctively as he dives in after him and pulls him to safety, Harry sitting on shore gasping for breath and trying to work out if he was seeing things as he stares at Ron and Sasha. Before they can say anything though Ron is presented with the horcrux and fights to destroy it which he does creating a deafening silence in the wake of the screaming noise that had escaped the locket when it was opened.

"Well, I'm glad that bit's over," Sasha smiles after a moment and the two boys stare at her in shock before laughing and Harry throws himself into her arms.

"I've missed you so much Sash," he whispers to her and she tightens her arms around him for a moment, stroking his hair as a mother would and fully taking on the role of 'big sister' for the first time in far too long.

"Come on, let's get back to Hermione before she throws a fit and kills us all," she smiles and they begin their trudge through the woods, Ron hanging back slightly as they approach the tent and see Hermione rush out stilling completely as she sees Sasha and Ron with Harry.

"What… I… Sasha," she exclaims running to the girl and hugging her tightly as a way of avoiding Ron completely which makes Sasha smile a little, they really were very similar and she had no doubt that they would come to their senses one day just as she and Charlie had, she just had to make sure that they lived through this mess first.

"Hey Mione," Sasha jokes laughing when she flinches at the nickname she only really loved when Ron used.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Romania," she asks as they all head inside and sit around the living area of the tent, Sasha taking a moment to once again marvel at the wonders of magic.

"I… got better and I knew that I needed to get here and help you guys through," she says quietly after a while and they all gaze at her for a moment in silence trying to gauge whether she truly was better and they all come to the conclusion that yes. Yes she was, not completely the person she was that would be impossible, they would all be changed irrevocably by the time this war was over, she had her fire back and that made them all smile.

"Bet Charlie was gutted you left," Ron says without thinking and whilst she blushed a little she smiled shyly and nodded her head slightly for once not having to hide her feelings or try and work out what they were talking about because it was obvious now, all those comments the family had made over the years, they had been because they knew he loved her too, how stupid they had been. How much time they had pointlessly wasted.

"He was but I'll go back to him as soon as this is over," she says and for a second they don't say anything until Ron suddenly jumps up excitedly.

"Wait a minute… are you… did you… did he finally tell you?" he asks and she laughs as she nods her head unable to fight the smile plastered across her face as she thought back to the moment they had declared their feelings for one another.

Sasha sits in the entrance of the tent keeping watch while the other three sleep. The night is peacefully and still and despite the biting cold she feels calm and relaxed, enjoying the moment of peace before the trauma they would inevitably face over the coming days and weeks. She just hoped it would be over soon so that she could go home to Charlie. Home. The thought strikes her hard and her breath catches in her throat as she feels both heart achingly sad thinking of her parents and how she would never have a home with them again, that they would never see her happy again, would never see her marry or have her own family. She swept at a tear that escaped at that thought but then as she continued to stare into the beautiful quiet of the night, they would be, they would be watching over her and she wasn't alone as she had feared she was. She had Charlie and he loved her and she had the Weasley's and Harry and Hermione and that was a thought that lifted her heart and gave her something to really fight for.

"I'm glad you're back Sash," Hermione says quietly from beside her and the girl starts a little before giving her friend a gentle smile and gesturing for her to sit beside her.

"Me too," she replies,

"You miss Charlie though," Hermione says and Sasha huffs out a laugh, she often forgot just how intelligent Hermione was emotionally as well as Intellectually.

"Terribly but I couldn't let you have all the fun now could I?" she smirks and Hermione laughs this time before the two of them fall silent and just spend some time enjoying the company of the other, both thinking over things but both glad of the solid warmth of friendship from the body beside her.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So sorry it's been so long since I updated life has been insane lately and I have so many stories to update and a couple of requests to work on too as well as working on the stuff for my publisher but anyway... I hope you enjoy it and as always please like and review and request and let me know what you like/dislike about it. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. Thanks lovely people.**

It is late in the afternoon when they arrive at their next campsite and begin to set up wards as they map out where to go next. The four young people are so distracted by their individual jobs that none of them notice the snatchers until it is too late and they are face to face with three large ugly men with wands.

"Well what do we have here?" one of them growls and for a second no one moves, no one breathes until Sasha throws Harry to the side and a curse at the snatchers.

"Run," she screams and they do. They are running and throwing curses behind them as the dodge the ones thrown at them. Panic coursing through them so quickly that they barely feel the scrapes and cuts as they rush past trees and fall down ditches.

After ten minutes of frantic running and chasing and fighting Sasha and Hermione glance at each other, realising at the same time that they were caught. They would never outrun these men and so seemingly coming to the same conclusion they throw stinging hexes at Harry to disguise his face and accept their fate. Tackled from behind Sasha is thrown to the floor grunting in pain as she does so before all four of them are bundled together and after a quick and hushed conversation with their captors aparated away and Sasha's blood runs cold and she freezes as she realises where they are.

'Malfoy Manor," she murmurs and Hermione freezes beside her as Bellatrix LeStrange appears before them before ushering them all through the gates. "Whatever happens stay quiet, don't speak okay?" Sasha whispers to them and too scared to argue they nod their heads in agreement.

"Bring them," Bellatrix says after a moment of examining them and they are led roughly into a large ballroom.

The room is vast and cold and Sasha can see the Malfoy family cowering in a corner by a fireplace, she almost feels sorry for them, realising for the first time that they are human too. She watches silently as Draco is dragged forward to identify Harry. Sasha watches the fear in his eyes as he glances at them all and then back towards his mum and it is in that moment that she realises that they are the same really. He is doing all this to protect his parents. Sure he was a bigoted arsehole but he wanted to protect his mum and dad and Sasha knew that she would do anything in her power to protect hers if they were still around. For a moment she felt almost overwhelming pity for him and then the snatchers are being directed to take them down to the cellars and she moves trying to get past without being noticed but an arm stops her.

"Wait," her heart is in her throat as she lifts her eyes to meet Bellatrix's and it almost stops as she sees recognition in the mad witches. Sasha shoots a glance at her three friends and tries her best to show that she is okay despite the fear making her want to vomit. "Oh the Dark Lord will be pleased I found you but I think I'll have some fun first mudblood," she spits and Sasha feels the blood run from her face and the need to be with Charlie, to have never left him was so strong she has to fight not to sob out loud but she wouldn't. She wouldn't let these people have the satisfaction.

She had felt the cruciatus curse before of course, in the forest at the Quiditch world cup but the pain of this one was worse. It seemed that dark curses really did gain power from the strength of the hatred of the witch or wizard casting them. Bellatrix had a lot of hate. Hate that was currently being directed at her and ripping screams of agony and fear from her throat and scream she did. She had so wanted to be brave and stoic but the pain was too intense, the fear too strong and so she screamed until her throat was raw, she screamed for Charlie to save her, for her parents to come to her, for the pain to end and tears of pain and shame leaked down her face as Bellatrix set about carving the word mudblood into her arm, cackling all the time.

Harry, Ron and Hermione listened desperately to her screams from their prison in the cellars and they both held on to Hermione as she cried for her friend, all of them knowing that Sasha could easily have been replaced with Hermione, that she was being targeted and tortured for her blood status. They weren't sure whether to be pleased or more scared when the screams stopped finally Harry feared that he was losing her and as his sister, for that was what she was to him and he wanted so much to protect her like she had always looked out for and protected him.

Sasha wasn't sure how much time had passed as she lay there letting the coldness of the floor seep into and cool her burning skin. Her breathing is laboured and the pain was so complete that it was all she could do to try and switch it off and take herself somewhere else. She had done this a lot over the last few years only, it was easier when it was emotional and she felt as if she had nothing but now that she knew Charlie loved her back, that if anything happened to her he would be in pain, well, that was a thought that terrified her more than anything. She had to stay strong, she had to protect Harry, Hermione and Ron, she had to get back to Charlie and so she thought of him, of Romania and of being in his arms and she closed her eyes, pushing the pain away and focussing on breathing and living.

It is a long time before she is aware of anything, she can hear screaming feel the others suddenly appearing again, manages to force her eyes open to see them facing off against the Malfoy's and Bellatrix before her energy gives out and she slumps between Ron and Hermione, distantly hearing screams of anger and then consciousness is stripped from her as they apparate.

"Sash, wake up Titch," the voice ripples over her and she knows it immediately,

"Bill," the name slips out before she has even opened her eyes and despite her entire body aching and her throat feeling dry and scratchy she feels a smile stretch across her lips as his fingers tighten around hers.

"Hey Titch, you had me worried for a second there," he replies smiling a little himself, as she opens her eyes and gazes up at him. "What are you doing back here Sash?" he asks now and she sighs a little.

"I had to come back, I had to help them," she answers and he sighs this time, knowing that she was right and he couldn't argue but hating that she was hurt. He loved her as much as he loved his own sister and it broke his heart to see the word carved on the pale skin of her forearm, as if sensing his thoughts she squeezes his own hand. "It's just a word Bill, better me than Hermione and besides Charlie won't care he'll still love me, won't he?" she asks and he laughs a little at that.

"You're a little too selfless for your own good sometimes Titch you know that?" he huffs, "and of course he'll… wait a minute… did my little brother finally get up the courage to tell you?" he beams and it is her turn to chuckle a little at him and shake her head.

"I told him actually and then he told me he felt the same," she says quietly and he chuckles again before helping her to sit up.

"Of course you did," he says almost matter of fatly and she smiles again before her face sets more seriously.

"I miss him so much," she says quietly and for a second her emotions threaten to overwhelm her as she remembers the moments in that manor that she thought she was going to die, that she would never see him again. "How are the others? Where are they?" she asks then in an attempt to rally herself and focus on the job in hand.

"They're fine, they're resting and eating, as you need to do, I think they will figure out there next move soon, once you've recovered, don't worry they've already said that they won't leave you behind," he says hastily as she looks ready to protest. "For now though you need rest and some decent food and whilst I can't bring him directly here, this fireplace, I can show you how to make a quick fire call to Romania if you like?" he says with a wink, smiling as he watches her face light up at the thought.

"Really? I can… I can talk to him?" she asks almost breathlessly and he laughs as he nods before bending and doing something to the fireplace.

For a few minutes there is silence and Sasha is beginning to think that something has gone wrong when a strange hissing sounds and sparks begin to fly.

"Bill," the sound of Charlie's voice is unmistakable and Sasha almost sobs as she hears it, half falling out of bed as she rushes to get closer to the fire.

"She's fine Charlie, she's here see," Bill says quickly moving aside so that Sasha can see the outline of Charlie's face in the embers.

"Hey Charlie," she murmurs, her voice catching as she does so and Bill steps outside quietly in order to give them a bit of peace.

"My little dragon tamer," his own voice is soft and strained and she can tell instantly that he is trying to hold his own emotions into check, "what did I tell you about staying safe?" he sighs and it sounds more deep than usual as it is joined by the crackling of embers.

"I'm fine Charlie I promise I am and I found the others and kept them safe too," she says so proudly he doesn't have it in him to reprimand her again and so instead just settles for another sigh as he thinks about how desperately he wants to be there, to hold her in his arms and keep her warm and protected.

"I wish I was there with you Princess," he murmurs after a while and she nods her head afraid that she would loose her composure completely if she were to open her mouth. "Listen Sash, I don't have long and I need to speak to Bill will you get him for me?" he asks and she nods again standing up and moving towards the door, "Sash," he calls and she halts and turns towards him, "I love you, so much Sash, you know that right?" he says and she smiles and she brushes away the tears that have escaped.

"I know," she whispers, "I love you too, more than anything," for a second neither of them say or do anything his face merely crackling in the fire and her watching in fascination.

"Stay safe my little dragon tamer, we'll be together soon," he says eventually and she laughs a little, although there is little mirth in it and nods again as she reaches for the door handle and lets Bill back in, turning briefly to look at the image of Charlie's face before leaving the room to search for the others.

For a second the two brothers are quiet as if making sure that Sasha was out of ear shot before they begin their conversation.

"What happened to them, to her?" Charlie asks earnestly now and Bill sighs as he runs his hands through his hair.

"They were caught by snatchers, taken to Malfoy Manor and, she hasn't spoken about it but… from what the others have told me… she was tortured by Bellatrix LeStrange…" he trails off as he sees the desperate fear on his brothers face and is momentarily glad that he was not in the room, not sure he could cope with seeing it for real and equally wanting him to be there so they might share in the worry, so that he could see Sasha truly happy and safe.

"What are you not telling me Bill?" he growls pulling his older brother from his musings and shaking his head he looks away for a moment.

"She… when she arrived… the word… Mudblood… it's carved into the skin of her arm, cursed, it will never fully heal," the roar of anguish that Charlie lets forth is almost enough to make his older brother hold his hands over his ears so as not to hear it. The silence after seems to stretch on forever and Bill for the first time in his life doesn't know what to do to comfort his little brother to make things right again. His entire life they had been best friends, as close as the twins and his whole life he had been there to protect him and now he felt just about as helpless as it was possible to feel. Add to that the fact this was all to do with the girl he had seen as a little sister for the past several years, someone who had become family long before any of this began, was suffering and he felt fairly useless at the moment.

"So you finally told her then?" he says eventually hoping that it would break the tension a tiny bit a small smile pulling at his lips as he does so.

"She told you didn't she?" Charlie huffs out eventually and Bill nods a laugh slipping out as he see's Charlie's scowl even through the flames.

"Yep," he replies, popping the p,

"She's too good for me," Charlie sighs now and Bill laughs again,

"Probably," he answers, "but she is perfect for you as you are for her, just stay safe out there for her and make sure you get over here as soon as you can to stop her getting herself in trouble, you know she has a knack for it," Bill says more seriously now.

"Look after her for me, I know she'll leave soon with the others but until then just…" he trails off not knowing what to say.

"I know mate, I know, see you soon yeah," Bill says watching for a moment longer as the fire flickers and roars and Charlie's face disappears as suddenly as it had appeared.


	17. Chapter 17

Sasha made her way down to the kitchen where she finds the other three sitting quietly holding cups of tea in their hands and staring at the table.

"Hi," she says quietly and they all jump a little as they look up at her and she sees the grief in their eyes and it makes her heart stutter. If she hadn't just spoken to Charlie she may well have fallen such was the panic that rushed through her in that second. "Who?" she whispers and Harry hangs his head as tears gather in his eyes, he hated that she knew death so well by now she could recognise it so quickly in an expression. She was older than him by two years he knew that and she had always looked upon him as a little brother that needed protecting and she had saved his life as well as Ron and Hermione's on more occasions than he cared to remember but he wanted to protect her too. He saw her as family, they were both orphans now but even before that the two of them had a connection that became as strong as the closest of siblings and he so wanted to see her safe and happy.

"Dobby," Hermione murmurs and he doesn't look up as he hears Sasha fall into a chair beside him, her fingers reaching automatically for his to try and offer some comfort.

"I'm so sorry Harry," she whispers brokenly and he turns quickly and berries his head in her shoulder, her arms wrapping around him instantly, holding him tightly as he cries, Hermione and Ron moving silently away to the sink and then the living room so as to give the two some space.

"Sorry," Harry sniffs after a while, sitting up and wiping his nose on the sleeve of his top, looking in that moment to Sasha like a small child and it broke her heart that he carried such a heavy burden. It is always the innocent, the most innocent, that carry the greatest burdens she sighs, her chest hurting as she realises that this would take away his innocence, all of theirs and she could do nothing to stop it, she couldn't protect them from it, from what it was already doing.

"Never apologise to me Harry, you have nothing to be sorry for," she says almost fiercely and he blushes a little bit under the intensity of her stare and casts his eyes down to her arm instead.

"Your arm…" he begins but she sighs pulling at the sleeve of the jumper she was wearing and pulls his hands into her own.

"It will be fine Harry, listen right now we need to figure out our next move and finish this thing so we can get back to living our lives, in peace," she says, determination lacing her ever word and he smiles a little.

"You really think we can… finish this I mean?" he asks a slight waver in his voice as his own determination falters and fear begins to creep into his heart. He had lost so much, they all had and he was terrified who else he may lose before the end but knew too, that if it didn't come to an end, if Voldemort won, he would lose them all anyway.

"I know it," Sasha smiles, "we're unstoppable together and besides the quicker this is over, the quicker I can get Charlie back over here," she laughs and he chuckles himself a little too.

"I'm glad he finally told you, that you're happy," he murmurs and she pulls him into her arms again at this, her own eyes becoming wet with tears.

"I'm just lucky to have so many fantastic people around me, I lost sight of that for a while, I lost sight of it all for a while but I'm back now and I'm going not going to let anything take you all away from me," she replies in a whisper before clearing her throat and pulling away slightly, "now enough of this fluffy stuff I hear you've been interviewing a wand maker so tell me, what do we know?" she exclaims and he smiles more widely at her enthusiasm, glancing up as Ron and Hermione reappear and take their previous seats opposite.

It is only hours later that the four set off again, once Sasha has made Bill promise to keep Charlie updated and to stay safe and he had made her make a similar promise about herself and the trio she was with.

"You sure this is going to work?" Ron asks slightly dubiously as he stares at the polyjuiced Hermione and feeling his own magically grown beard, thanks to an ageing potion, the very same that Sasha had helped the twins to create when they were attempting to enter their names into the goblet all those years ago.

"We don't have much choice, it'll have to," Harry replies grimly, gripping the invisibility cloak that he would hide under with Sasha.

"Come on then, lets get this done," Sasha says with a smile, hoping to install some confidence in her friends as they grab hands, her holding on to Griphook as they apperate to an alleyway not far from Gringotts.

"Ready?" Harry murmurs as he quickly throws the invisibility cloak over himself and Sasha, their arms locked tightly around one another's waists in order to stay hidden and out of sight the las thing they needed was for a floating foot or hand to appear, this idea was risky enough as it was.

Sasha's heart is pounding as they enter the bank and she curses herself for not insisting on being the one to take the polyjuice potion as she hears the slight waver in Hermione's voice. She was brave and clever, cleverer than anyone she had ever met but she was young and Sasha wanted desperately to protect her from danger and fear, just as she did with all of them. It feels like hours later that they are moving through the banks network of tunnels on the rickety little train tracks. It reminds her quite suddenly of her first visit here with her parents, she had just turned eleven years old and was so excited by everything. All her life she had read stories about magic and dreamed of having it and then for that letter to arrive, to be told that she was a witch it was an indescribable feeling and her parents had been just as excited as she was. They had arrived at Diagon alley, as per the instructions she had been sent and had spent at least an hour just gaping around in awe before making their way to the bank to open a vault and deposit some money for her to use during the year. All of their money was there now, in her vault, she supposed once the house was restored and sold the money for that would go there too. She almost laughs as she remembers the green tinge her fathers face had taken on as they hurtled along in one of these very carriages whilst she whooped in joy and excitement. It was sad, she thought, that the excitement and joy faded as one becomes accustomed to things. She is brought quite suddenly out of her musings as they jerk to a halt and quickly disembark, having abandoned the cloak once on their way and she gives a little start as she sees Ron and Hermione back to normal.

"Disillusionment charm to stop thieves, about half way round, you were lost in your own world," Harry explains and she offers a sheepish grin in return not really knowing what to say, startling at the sudden roar, her heart catching in her throat and tears burning in her eyes as she sees the dragon round the corner.

"Oh my God, what did they do to it?" she gasps out before being pulled behind a pillar by Ron.

"Are you crazy, that thing is about to fry us," he screams as she tries to peer at it again,

"It's in pain Ron look at it," she exclaims angrily but before either of them can say anything else the goblin that had brought them down here starts battering on a drum which causes the dragon to squeal in agony and back away leaving them a pathway to the vault door which they quickly leap through. "You should be ashamed of yourselves," Sasha suddenly screams a Griphook causing them all to startle a little.

"Sash…" Harry begins but she holds up a hand to stop him,

"That poor creature has been tortured and hurt," she continues only stopping when Ron starts laughing and she rounds on him, her face flushed and anger flashing in her eyes, "What?" she yells and he takes a few gulping breathes to calm himself down.

"It's just… I don't… you and Charlie were literally made for each other you know, only you and him would worry about a bloody great dragon in a situation like this," and even she has to blush a little as the others agree with Ron.

"Well, that's besides the point, lets get this cup and get the hell out of here," she says turning away quickly and picking through the riches and treasures locked away in Bellatrix LeStrange's vault.

It is less than half an hour later that they are fighting to get out of the cursed vault, Sasha clinging to Hermione's hand as they attempt to make their way to the exit before immediately casting charms and spells to ward off the dragon. A curse suddenly whips through the air past Sasha's arm, hitting the column beside her causing her to let out a startled scream and looking up she sees the goblins firing down at them.

"They've found us out, what do we do?" Hermione screams as they four of them continue to fire and dodge curses.

"The dragon," Sasha suddenly screams and the others all spare her a withering glance before turning back to the fight.

"Not really the time to bring up dragon rights Sash, you're as bad as Hermione you know," Ron yells,

"Hey," Hermione retorts, firing a quick spell which knocks out a goblin that was about to fire on Ron.

"No, I mean we ride the dragon, that's out way out," Sasha yells and they all turn to look at her again.

"You're crazy," Harry shouts, turning once again to fire a few curses at their attackers but there is a smile on his face as he does so and for a brief second Sasha realises that it isn't just their eye colour that they have in common, that despite what everyone says he is more like herself and the twins than he lets on, his love of anything that gets his adrenalin pumping just one of those things.

"How?" Hermione asks, voice wavering and Sasha instantly moves towards her and grips her free hand as they hide behind a pillar, knowing the girl was terrified of flying and it made hr chest ache to know that she was causing some of that fear but it was the only way and fear was always preferable to death.

"Just follow me, I'll look after you, I promise," she murmurs before quickly dragging her forwards and practically throwing her onto the back of the dragon behind the two boys before leaping on herself, throwing a few more curses at the goblins as she does so before screaming at Harry to break the dragons chains and then they are off. The climb through the caves and vaults and out into the atrium of Gringotts is stomach churning and terrifying and the first few clumsy attempts to fly once it is outside for the first time in years but then they are flying and it is… magnificent. Sasha closes her eyes and thinks of Charlie as they fly through the freezing air and wind. How jealous he would be when he found out, how much she wished he was here with her now, how she was looking forward to telling him. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes or shut his face out again until Harry is yelling at her to jump and it is only then that she realises that tears are frozen against her cheeks and then she is falling, hitting the water, icy, freezing water dragging her down and she is reminded now of the time she had been held in the black lake during the Tri Wizard tournament.

"Sasha," the voice is full of panic and concern and she opens her eyes to see Harry and the others staring down at her and pushes away the memories and grief for another time. She couldn't afford to be weak now, now they had to fight, she had to stay strong and she had to fight.

"Where to now?" she asks shakily as she uses a drying charm to dry both her clothes and theirs.


	18. Chapter 18

The town of Hogsmeade is deathly silent as they apparate in so much so that for a second it took her breath away. Sasha had experienced violence and the effects of this war, of course she had, in the worst possible way and yet… this is the first time she had seen what it was really like in England since it began properly. Before it had always been in secret, the dark side hidden and making sneak attacks but now, it was like they had already won and it terrified her. It was a glimpse into the future if they didn't defeat Voldermort. Living in hiding, everybody scared, everybody hiding and praying they are not found out. Tears spring to her eyes before she can stop them as she has sudden memories of the streets of this town full of laughter and shouting as the students spend their Saturday shopping and having fun. Now it was a ghost town, abandoned and empty and dead!

The sound of alarms blaring suddenly pulls her from her mind with a start, as Harry throws a hand over her mouth before she can scream, as if he had read her mind, and gestures with his head towards the death eaters and snatchers that had appeared and seemed to be searching.

"We tripped an alarm," he whispers to her and she stares with wild eyes as they get closer until a man that looks so like Dumbledore that for a second she thinks she is hallucinating ushers them down into the basement of a house.

"Who are you?" she asks after the silence becomes too much and she senses that the other three were no closer to knowing who had saved them or asking the question.

"Abeforth," he replies shortly before shuffling around looking for things and for a moment longer there is a confused silence before Harry makes a noise of understanding and pulls the piece of broken mirror from his sock.

"You're Dumbledore's brother? It was you I could see in the mirror wasn't it?" he asks and they all turn to look at the old man, understanding dawning across their faces.

"There's no time for all that, they'll be here in a minute," he says cryptically and fear grips Sasha's heart instantly as she moves to leave, grabbing Hermione's hand in hers as she moves only to be blocked. "Don't be stupid girl, I mean the good ones," he explains and she stares hard at him for a moment before a noise behind her causes her to spin and let out a yelp of joy and surprise as she sees Neville and Seamus appear through a tunnel behind a picture on the far wall.

"Oh my Gosh it's so good to see you," she squeals as she runs to hug them, they may have been two years below her at school but they were Gryffindors and they were her friends. She chose not to comment on the state of them as the others all greeted the two of them, they were beaten, regularly by the looks of the different stages of bruising visible on bits of exposed skin but they were smiling, beaming as they saw Harry and her heart swelled a little before plummeting as he briefly turned tortured eyes on her. He held the hope of their entire world on his shoulders and it was too much. Instinctively, she reaches forward and grasps his hand in hers before the climb through the hole and begin the journey to Hogwarts.

"I'm scared," he admits in a tiny whisper that only she can hear and she squeezes his hand tighter as she turns him briefly to face e her.

"It'll be okay Harry, I'm right here and we'll get through this together and if we don't… well we can hide out in tunnels like this and live like moles," she jokes trying to lighten the mood and he cracks a weak smile before she pushes him forward and following him praying that by some miracle they would make it through, that Harry and the others could find happiness and live a life free of evil and war and fighting, that she might make it back to Charlie and that they might start a life together.

"Stay here a second, you lot getting here will be a nice surprise for the others," Seamus whispers and so they wait for a minute in the dark silence and Sasha has a horrible feeling that this would be the last time for a while that they had any sort of rest or quiet. Before she can think about it too much though they are being pulled forwards and there is a stunned whispering before quiet cheering begins. Sasha can't really concentrate on that though, or the state of the students as she gazes around the decimated castle. They were in one of the dungeons, which had been turned into a mass dorm room where the students were being kept and it looked… it looked like a prison camp of some kind. She remembers watching programmes on TV during the holidays about the wars in the muggle world. Her dad had been a history buff and she had loved spending time with him watching those programmes. There had been a few they watched all about prisoner of war camps and it was so like this that it caused a lump to rise in her throat which she quickly swallowed as Ginny throws herself at her.

It takes a few minutes for her to calm the girl down, giggling slightly as both Harry and Ron grumble indignantly behind her about them not seeing Ginny for nearly six months and her ignoring them.

"They know," Ginny whispers eventually and they all freeze slightly at this news, "Snape, he knows you're here Harry," she says now and for a second they are all silent before Harry begins to explain why they are here.

"Are you okay?" Sasha asks quietly as she pulls Ginny to one side and she smiles up at her in return.

"I've missed you Sash," she replies instead of answering and Sasha pulls her into another hug at this, holding her close.

"I've missed you too," she whispers back before pulling away and examining her closely, "are you sure you're okay?" she asks and Ginny nods her head with a little smile.

"Yes, I'm fine, well, as fine as I can be considering… this is it isn't it?" she asks quietly, a slight quiver to her voice as she does so and Sasha sighs.

"Yes, I think so but you're going to be okay, I won't let anyone hurt you, any of you, I promise," Sasha says earnestly and Ginny offers a little smile again.

"Where's Charlie? Is he here?" Ginny asks and the mention of his name causes an almost physical longing in Sasha, a blush reaching her cheeks and smile on her face as she thinks of him even as the pain of being away from him is ever visible in her eyes.

"No, he… he had to stay behind but he'll be home soon," she replies and Ginny gives her an almost knowing look but both girls know that now is no the time to talk romance as they are suddenly hustled forwards by Neville and Ron and find themselves hidden amongst the other students as they file to the Great Hall.

Sasha's heart is pounding so hard she is almost certain everyone could hear it as she stood, head down, beside Neville while death eaters flanked Snape as he marched down to the front of the hall. Her head is beginning to hurt as she is unable to block out the memories of this place. She hadn't been back here since she left and she had blocked everything out as soon as she left, concentrating on her mother and later Charlie and the Golden Trio but now they were all flittering before her eyes and she can't concentrate on anything else that is happening. Her joy at first arriving here and finding the twins, how quickly she had fallen in love with Charlie. Her friendship with Bill growing. The Tri Wizard tournament, her first argument with Charlie. Cedric, those memories cause tears to gather in her eyes and her breath to stutter without her consent. The twins leaving. Suddenly, Harry leapt forward and confronted Snape and without hesitation Sasha stepped forward to stand at his side, Hermione and Ron just behind them and then the doors crash open and the order pour in. Sasha freezes completely for a second as she sees them all, see's the Weasley's unharmed and she can barely keep herself from moving to them as Professor McGonagall begins duelling with Snape who suddenly disappears, shattering the glass behind where the teachers table used to be snapping Sasha out of her daze and she is moving towards the twins and them to her as the noise starts. It is like a haze, like being under water, everything thick and heavy and murky and the screaming, first one student and then another and then… his voice. It made her blood run cold and her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't heard that voice since her mother died and she was yet to speak to anyone, even Charlie about it. They all knew that Deatheaters had been the ones to kill her mother but no one knew that it was Voldemort who had been the one to cast the curse. Legs giving way beneath her she sits suddenly on the cold ground, her cheat heaving, sickness settling over her as her mind sends her back to that night.

The sun had only just set and whilst her mother was still lost in drink and pills things had almost seemed to be getting better, although that may have been wishful thinking on Sasha's part. She was heading off to the Burrow tomorrow to see them all, to see one of her best friends get married and she was genuinely excited for the first time in a long time. Life had been hard since she left Hogwarts and she spent her days pretending that she was fine, although she knew the twin's were not exactly convinced. She had already had her wand in her hand as she levitated some clothes into her suitcase when she heard the explosion. For a second she didn't know what it was but then she head her mother scream and she ran barely dodging the curses as they began flying and soon she was battling for her life. She had never been more afraid, or more determined. It was the first time she realised just how much she wanted to live, how much she still had to live for. It's funny, ironic really, how it is only in the moments before death that one truly realises how much they want to live. She could barely feel the pain of the debris hitting her, the curses she didn't quite deflect catching her unawares she just fought and soon she had defeated them and for a second she thought it was over and then it was like coldness seeped into everything. It was a feeling that she could only liken to being around the dementors that she had The town of Hogsmeade is deathly silent as they apparate in so much so that for a second it took her breath away. Sasha had experienced violence and the effects of this war, of course she had, in the worst possible way and yet… this is the first time she had seen what it was really like in England since it began properly. Before it had always been in secret, the dark side hidden and making sneak attacks but now, it was like they had already won and it terrified her. It was a glimpse into the future if they didn't defeat Voldermort. Living in hiding, everybody scared, everybody hiding and praying they are not found out. Tears spring to her eyes before she can stop them as she has sudden memories of the streets of this town full of laughter and shouting as the students spend their Saturday shopping and having fun. Now it was a ghost town, abandoned and empty and dead!

The sound of alarms blaring suddenly pulls her from her mind with a start, as Harry throws a hand over her mouth before she can scream, as if he had read her mind, and gestures with his head towards the death eaters and snatchers that had appeared and seemed to be searching.

"We tripped an alarm," he whispers to her and she stares with wild eyes as they get closer until a man that looks so like Dumbledore that for a second she thinks she is hallucinating ushers them down into the basement of a house.

"Who are you?" she asks after the silence becomes too much and she senses that the other three were no closer to knowing who had saved them or asking the question.

"Abeforth," he replies shortly before shuffling around looking for things and for a moment longer there is a confused silence before Harry makes a noise of understanding and pulls the piece of broken mirror from his sock.

"You're Dumbledore's brother? It was you I could see in the mirror wasn't it?" he asks and they all turn to look at the old man, understanding dawning across their faces.

"There's no time for all that, they'll be here in a minute," he says cryptically and fear grips Sasha's heart instantly as she moves to leave, grabbing Hermione's hand in hers as she moves only to be blocked. "Don't be stupid girl, I mean the good ones," he explains and she stares hard at him for a moment before a noise behind her causes her to spin and let out a yelp of joy and surprise as she sees Neville and Seamus appear through a tunnel behind a picture on the far wall.

"Oh my Gosh it's so good to see you," she squeals as she runs to hug them, they may have been two years below her at school but they were Gryffindors and they were her friends. She chose not to comment on the state of them as the others all greeted the two of them, they were beaten, regularly by the looks of the different stages of bruising visible on bits of exposed skin but they were smiling, beaming as they saw Harry and her heart swelled a little before plummeting as he briefly turned tortured eyes on her. He held the hope of their entire world on his shoulders and it was too much. Instinctively, she reaches forward and grasps his hand in hers before the climb through the hole and begin the journey to Hogwarts.

"I'm scared," he admits in a tiny whisper that only she can hear and she squeezes his hand tighter as she turns him briefly to face e her.

"It'll be okay Harry, I'm right here and we'll get through this together and if we don't… well we can hide out in tunnels like this and live like moles," she jokes trying to lighten the mood and he cracks a weak smile before she pushes him forward and following him praying that by some miracle they would make it through, that Harry and the others could find happiness and live a life free of evil and war and fighting, that she might make it back to Charlie and that they might start a life together.

"Stay here a second, you lot getting here will be a nice surprise for the others," Seamus whispers and so they wait for a minute in the dark silence and Sasha has a horrible feeling that this would be the last time for a while that they had any sort of rest or quiet. Before she can think about it too much though they are being pulled forwards and there is a stunned whispering before quiet cheering begins. Sasha can't really concentrate on that though, or the state of the students as she gazes around the decimated castle. They were in one of the dungeons, which had been turned into a mass dorm room where the students were being kept and it looked… it looked like a prison camp of some kind. She remembers watching programmes on TV during the holidays about the wars in the muggle world. Her dad had been a history buff and she had loved spending time with him watching those programmes. There had been a few they watched all about prisoner of war camps and it was so like this that it caused a lump to rise in her throat which she quickly swallowed as Ginny throws herself at her.

It takes a few minutes for her to calm the girl down, giggling slightly as both Harry and Ron grumble indignantly behind her about them not seeing Ginny for nearly six months and her ignoring them.

"They know," Ginny whispers eventually and they all freeze slightly at this news, "Snape, he knows you're here Harry," she says now and for a second they are all silent before Harry begins to explain why they are here.

"Are you okay?" Sasha asks quietly as she pulls Ginny to one side and she smiles up at her in return.

"I've missed you Sash," she replies instead of answering and Sasha pulls her into another hug at this, holding her close.

"I've missed you too," she whispers back before pulling away and examining her closely, "are you sure you're okay?" she asks and Ginny nods her head with a little smile.

"Yes, I'm fine, well, as fine as I can be considering… this is it isn't it?" she asks quietly, a slight quiver to her voice as she does so and Sasha sighs.

"Yes, I think so but you're going to be okay, I won't let anyone hurt you, any of you, I promise," Sasha says earnestly and Ginny offers a little smile again.

"Where's Charlie? Is he here?" Ginny asks and the mention of his name causes an almost physical longing in Sasha, a blush reaching her cheeks and smile on her face as she thinks of him even as the pain of being away from him is ever visible in her eyes.

"No, he… he had to stay behind but he'll be home soon," she replies and Ginny gives her an almost knowing look but both girls know that now is no the time to talk romance as they are suddenly hustled forwards by Neville and Ron and find themselves hidden amongst the other students as they file to the Great Hall.

Sasha's heart is pounding so hard she is almost certain everyone could hear it as she stood, head down, beside Neville while death eaters flanked Snape as he marched down to the front of the hall. Her head is beginning to hurt as she is unable to block out the memories of this place. She hadn't been back here since she left and she had blocked everything out as soon as she left, concentrating on her mother and later Charlie and the Golden Trio but now they were all flittering before her eyes and she can't concentrate on anything else that is happening. Her joy at first arriving here and finding the twins, how quickly she had fallen in love with Charlie. Her friendship with Bill growing. The Tri Wizard tournament, her first argument with Charlie. Cedric, those memories cause tears to gather in her eyes and her breath to stutter without her consent. The twins leaving. Suddenly, Harry leapt forward and confronted Snape and without hesitation Sasha stepped forward to stand at his side, Hermione and Ron just behind them and then the doors crash open and the order pour in. Sasha freezes completely for a second as she sees them all, see's the Weasley's unharmed and she can barely keep herself from moving to them as Professor McGonagall begins duelling with Snape who suddenly disappears, shattering the glass behind where the teachers table used to be snapping Sasha out of her daze and she is moving towards the twins and them to her as the noise starts. It is like a haze, like being under water, everything thick and heavy and murky and the screaming, first one student and then another and then… his voice. It made her blood run cold and her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't heard that voice since her mother died and she was yet to speak to anyone, even Charlie about it. They all knew that Deatheaters had been the ones to kill her mother but no one knew that it was Voldemort who had been the one to cast the curse. Legs giving way beneath her she sits suddenly on the cold ground, her cheat heaving, sickness settling over her as her mind sends her back to that night.

The sun had only just set and whilst her mother was still lost in drink and pills things had almost seemed to be getting better, although that may have been wishful thinking on Sasha's part. She was heading off to the Burrow tomorrow to see them all, to see one of her best friends get married and she was genuinely excited for the first time in a long time. Life had been hard since she left Hogwarts and she spent her days pretending that she was fine, although she knew the twin's were not exactly convinced. She had already had her wand in her hand as she levitated some clothes into her suitcase when she heard the explosion. For a second she didn't know what it was but then she head her mother scream and she ran barely dodging the curses as they began flying and soon she was battling for her life. She had never been more afraid, or more determined. It was the first time she realised just how much she wanted to live, how much she still had to live for. It's funny, ironic really, how it is only in the moments before death that one truly realises how much they want to live. She could barely feel the pain of the debris hitting her, the curses she didn't quite deflect catching her unawares she just fought and soon she had defeated them and for a second she thought it was over and then it was like coldness seeped into everything. It was a feeling that she could only liken to being around the dementors that she had fought off with Harry in her fifth year and looking up she came face to face with him. It was in that moment that she knew she was dead and all she saw was Charlie's face and it made her feel so guilty, to this day she felt so much guilt that she didn't think about her mum or dad in that second she didn't even think about the other Weasley's or Harry it was just Charlie and the fact that she would die without telling him how she felt.

"It's a shame really, to kill such a brilliant mind but, alas, I can't allow you to taint the blood of pure Wizards," he murmurs quietly, hissing the words in his cold emotionless voice and her mother screams again from behind her startling Sasha into action as she fights him, a green light suddenly flashes through the air. She hadn't even heard the words being spoken and for a moment she can't understand why she isn't dead until she looks down and her eyes meet the empty, staring ones of her mother. Sickness washes over her as she glances back up and meets the gaze of Voldermort. He looks almost… shocked for a second before aparating away. She couldn't understand why, the fight had left her again when she saw her mother dead, he could have killed her, why didn't he?

"Sash… Sasha," the voice is almost panicked and yet thrilled at the same time and it pulls her from her memories as she looks up to see Fred crouching before her.

A off with Harry in her fifth year and looking up she came face to face with him. It was in that moment that she knew she was dead and all she saw was Charlie's face and it made her feel so guilty, to this day she felt so much guilt that she didn't think about her mum or dad in that second she didn't even think about the other Weasley's or Harry it was just Charlie and the fact that she would die without telling him how she felt.

"It's a shame really, to kill such a brilliant mind but, alas, I can't allow you to taint the blood of pure Wizards," he murmurs quietly, hissing the words in his cold emotionless voice and her mother screams again from behind her startling Sasha into action as she fights him, a green light suddenly flashes through the air. She hadn't even heard the words being spoken and for a moment she can't understand why she isn't dead until she looks down and her eyes meet the empty, staring ones of her mother. Sickness washes over her as she glances back up and meets the gaze of Voldermort. He looks almost… shocked for a second before aparating away. She couldn't understand why, the fight had left her again when she saw her mother dead, he could have killed her, why didn't he?

"Sash… Sasha," the voice is almost panicked and yet thrilled at the same time and it pulls her from her memories as she looks up to see Fred crouching before her.


	19. Chapter 19

She hesitates for all of about two seconds before she throws herself into his arms, feeling George embrace her from behind and she buries her head in Fred's neck and sobs, allowing herself a few minutes to release all of her emotion.

"Shh, it's okay Sash…"

"We got you," they whisper to her and after a second she tries to pull herself together only resulting in her choking on another sob.

"Come on Sash, we're not…"

"That ugly, I don't see what there is to cry about, it's not as if…"

"We're in the middle of a war…"

"Or anything," they continue, knowing how much it simultaneously irritated and amused her when they finished each others sentences and sure enough they hear her let out a muffled giggle from where her face is buried against Fred's chest and their hearts both ease a little as they hear it.

"Sorry," she mumbles, feeling her face flush as she moves away from them slightly, suddenly becoming aware of everyone around her again.

"No problem Sash, you wanna tell us whats up?" Fred asks as the two of them move her to the side slightly and out of the way of the students, teachers and order members rushing around the castle.

"His voice, it was in my head… it took me back to… he was there," she stutters out eventually, staring fixedly at the floor as she tries to get her words out.

"What are you talking about Sash?" Fred asks, confusion clear in his tone but a sharp intake of breath from George stops him before he can say anything else.

"Sasha, are you saying that… Voldemort, you fought him?" the question comes as a harsh whisper and she can't bring herself to look at him, feeling the tension in both boys as they sit beside her.

"You never said anything… why didn't you?… Does Charlie know?" Fred asks and she shakes her head.

"I've never told anyone, I thought I could forget about it but… listen it's… let's win this thing first and then we can talk about it," she mutters hurriedly as she jumps to her feet and begins looking for the others.

"Sash, wait a minute," George yells after her as she begins to run towards the entrance hall,

"I have to find Harry and help finish this thing, stay safe and I'll see you soon," she shouts back before sprinting away from them.

For the next half an hour Sasha runs aimlessly around the castle desperately searching for the others. Everywhere around her students and adults are either searching for the horcrux or preparing for battle and the fear coupled with determination that is heavy in the air causes her own terror to increase as she desperately climbs another staircase, she had lost count of which floor she was long ago and was beginning to lose hope when a scream echoes around the hall way and rounding the corner is confronted with the image of Hermione destroying the diadem before flinging it back into the room of requirement as the whole thing seems to implode. An almighty explosion blows her clean off her feet just as she is moving towards them and for a few seconds she can hear nothing other than a ringing in her ears.

"Harry," she manages to gasp out after a another minute, as she half crawls half stumbles towards where he is beginning to help Hermione and Ron up.

"Sasha, you okay?" he asks and she smiles as she hugs him tightly,

"I'm good, what happened?" she asks gesturing the rubble and debris surrounding them and Hermione and Ron give a wry chuckle which causes her to raise an eyebrow.

"Bloody Goyle nearly killed us all that's what happened, idiot," Ron grumbles which makes Sasha and the other two laugh, before sobering up quickly as they realise where and when they are.

"Sash, the snake, Nagini, she's the last horcrux we have to kill it," Harry says quickly before they all stop as a rumbling and banging is heard from the distance, almost like fireworks going off miles away and for a moment none of them can work out what is happening.

"It's starting," Hermione murmurs after a silence and they all look at each other, fear evident in their eyes, a vulnerability they felt they could only share with each other, to the rest of the world they had to be brave, they had to be strong and they had to be winners but right now when it was just the four of them, the terror was obvious.

"Right, well, we should probably go win this thing quickly then," Sasha says, cringing at the quiver in her voice, clearing her throat and trying again, "you three go do what you need to do and I'll go hold them off with the others, just, stay safe okay," she finishes pulling all of them into a hug before turning and sprinting back towards the great hall.

By the time she gets back down to the entrance hall the fighting has already started, the barriers and protective shields had been broken through and death eaters were fighting with witches and wizards on the side of the light. The devastation is already overwhelming and it is all Sasha can do to duck behind a wall as a curse narrowly misses her. For a second she closes her eyes and tries to block everything out, so much death, so much pain but she couldn't focus on it because she had people that were counting on her, people she had to keep safe.

"Ginny," she yells jumping forward and throwing a curse at a death eater trying to attack the youngest Weasley.

"Sasha, where are the others?" Ginny asks breathlessly as the two girls find themselves back to back battling two masked death eaters.

"I need to find the snake, I have to kill Nagini," she replies, not mentioning where the other three are so as to avoid her running off to try and stop Harry from endangering himself, something Sasha herself was trying desperately not to think about.

"I'll cover you, get through to the court yard and out from there," Ginny yells, throwing a curse that temporarily distracts the two death eaters so that the two girls can quickly stun and then tie them up, dispatching them in a darkened corner, to be dealt with afterwards.

Sasha rushes towards the door and out into the courtyard flinging curses almost constantly as she ducks and weaves, unable to really comprehend what was going on around her or how she hadn't been hit. Her eyes scanning the ground for the snake, of any evidence of where it may be or any clue as to how she would kill it.

"Fred!" the scream is so loud it seems to reach her over the cacophony of the battle until she spins and sees that she is no more than there metres from where Fred is standing, duelling with what looks to be one of Voldermort's inner circle. The scream had come from George and it was so full of panic that it nearly stopped Sasha's heart, for a split second she couldn't understand why he had screamed but then she saw it. Almost in slow motion she watches the curse obliterate the wall directly behind Fred and she knows that he won't get away, she doesn't think, she doesn't contemplate consequences she just moves. Blood pumping in her ears as she feels her hands connect with Fred's back pushing him forwards and the feels the pain of the stone hitting her back and then… silence. Silence and blackness surround her.

It takes a few minutes for the twins to work out what had happened and it is not five minutes after that when the call for a cease fire is issued and the two attempt to pull her from the rubble.

"Fred, George, have you seen…?" Bill's voice trails off as he sees their tortured faces and looks down to see her, still half buried, deathly pale and silent, "Oh God no… stop Fred don't move her," he yells leaping forward to stop his brother.

"I'm not leaving her here," Fred screams, tears already making tracks down his face as he watches Bill lean over her.

"She's alive," he says in an almost disbelieving whisper as he spins to face them, "we need to put a stasis charm on her and get her help now though, quick get mum she'll know what to do," he adds urgently and George is sprinting away before he has even finished speaking.

"Mum… mum," he cries frantically as Molly whips round to see him, face pale and taught he eyes searching for Fred, her entire body seeming to coil and tense as she sees his desperate grief and panic and the absence of his brother. She wants to ask him where Fred is, wants to yell and hug him and find her other boys but she can't, she can't do anything other than stand there silently until Arthur comes up beside her, his hand resting gently against her back.

"What is it son?" he asks wearily, as if preparing himself for the worst and yet hoping beyond hope that he was wrong.

"It's Sasha," George chokes out as he comes to halt in front of them, his every muscle tense with anxiety and panic, "she saved Fred but the curse destroyed the wall… it fell on her, she… Bill says she's alive but she needs a stasis charm and something, please… you have to hurry," he is already moving again, not glancing behind him as he knows they will follow him.

Molly had felt her entire body sag with relief when she heard the news that Fred was safe before guilt flooded through her so quickly it made her feel sick. Sasha was like her own child, had been part of the family for so long, would marry Charlie, she had been sure of it for years now. Tears are already in her eyes by the time she reaches the scene and her emotions are so strong that her legs very nearly buckle underneath her.

"Mum…?" Fred's voice is wavering and broken, thick with both guilt and grief as he holds on to Sasha's hand Bill kneeling at her other side his hands shaking as he tries to heal her the best he can. Molly has a second to panic before pulling herself together and casting several complicated charms before lifting her from the rubble and levitating her towards the relative safety of the Great Hall where they could look over her until this was over and they could get her to St Mungo's.


	20. Chapter 20

"Mum, Dad, I made it, at last, have you seen Sash, I've been looking all over for her?" Charlie's voice is strong and confident as ever although if you listened carefully you could hear the panic, the worry, the grief for all the death and destruction around him. Molly turns and pulls him to her tightly, her whole body shaking as she finally begins to cry, sobs convulsing through her.

It is in that instant that the terror grips his heart, his mother was not a needless worrier, she had raised too many children for that to be the case. No, for her to be crying like this something, someone…

"Sash?" her name is a hoarse whisper as it leaves his mouth and her redoubled sobs confirms the worst for him, his legs giving way beneath him as he crashes to the floor, his heart shattered.

"Charlie," George's voice is broken but something in it forces Charlie to meet his brothers eye and the spark of hope he sees there gives him something to latch on to.

"Is she…?" Charlie can't say the words, he can't believe… he won't believe. She was everything to him, she had been everything to him for too long and he simply couldn't consider a life without her at the centre of it.

"She's alive, but it's bad Charlie, you need to come," George replies quietly and he is on his feet again in an instant.

"Take me," he manages to choke out and then they are moving silently through the hall, Charlie following numbly behind his younger brother, barely seeing the destruction and death around them all until they stop and drawing level with George he sees her. She is deathly pale, aside from the cuts and bruises that visibly littered her broken body. Her face a mask of pain as she lies unconscious on the floor, Fred and Bill kneeling beside her the others gathered around, crying as though they had already given up.

"Oh Princess," his voice is more broken than anyone had ever heard it as Bill moves out of the way and he collapses beside her his hand finding hers immediately, "you promised me you'd stay safe Sash, remember? You said you'd come back to me so that we could start a life together and you always keep your promises," he breaks off here pulling in a ragged breath and trying to control his emotions even as he feels the tears already making tracks down his pale face. "So you have to come back to me princess because I love you, more than anything," he breaks off again a sob caught in his throat as he bows his head and his lips find her forehead.

The family stand for a while watching before they are forced back outside but Charlie doesn't notice, he sits by her side, his eyes never leaving her face, his lips moving constantly as he murmured words of comfort and pleas for her to wake up and babbled about the dragons and told her of the life they were going to live together when al this was over. He spoke to her of their wedding, of their children he begged and he cried and he pleaded with her as she lay unmoving beside him. He was unsure of how much time had passed, vaguely registering the cheers of those around him and understanding somehow, somewhere in the back of his mind that they had won, that it was over but for him it wasn't, it wouldn't be until he had her back.

Soon mddi-wizards and witches are appearing and Sasha is one of the first they prepare to move her, it was decided that they would only move her the short distance to the hospital wing at the castle where she would be healed by those attending.

"Where is she?" Harry is exhausted and beaten but the pain in his eyes as he sees her is more than the others can bear, turning away and seeking comfort from one another. The twins and the Golden Trio following Charlie whilst the others begin to help tend to the others and clear up what they could, rounding up any Death Eaters that are left, doing anything they could to take their minds off the young woman lying on the edge of death in the hospital wing. Charlie though, couldn't avoid it and anger was beginning to build in him, sitting uncomfortably in his stomach and making its way up his throat as he stands at the end of her bed and watches as the healers begin their work. For hours he stands and watches, the anger building, the others standing silently around him, all of them waiting with baited breath, praying for her to survive.

Eventually though, as the witches and wizards leave, telling the waiting crowd that they had done all they could and it was now a case of waiting until she woke up, if she woke up, Charlie's anger boiled over. He rounds suddenly on the others, eyes wild and full of anger and pain and desperation.

"You were supposed to look after her," he screams at no one in particular as they stumble back slightly in startled confusion.

"Charlie, we…" Harry starts stepping forward but being cut off as Charlie pushes him backwards against the wall.

"I trusted you to protect her, to keep her safe," he yells and Harry can't respond tears beginning to make tracks down his dirty cheeks as his guilt overwhelms him.

"Get off him you arsehole," Hermione suddenly screams leaping forwards and pulling Charlie's arms away from Harry, the twins and Ron standing by in shocked silence as they watch the exchange.

"Why, you're all to blame, you were supposed to help her and now she's… you're all safe and she…" he can't finish what he is saying, his eyes drifting back towards her still form before his anger redoubles and he growls at those standing around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Fred cries out now, pain evident in his voice as he does so, accepting the blow that Charlie swiftly delivers and preparing to take another when his twin jumps in front of him.

"Charlie stop it, Sash wouldn't want…" George begins but Charlie lets out a roar of anger and despair effectively cutting him off.

"How would you know what she would want?" he growls and this time it is George who lands a blow across Charlie's face.

"Piss off you dick," he yells, "she was our friend before you ever took an interest, don't forget that big brother, she was always ours, we always loved her, always," George is red in the face with fury as he finishes speaking and Charlie is pacing as he tries to control himself, his emotions overwhelming him completely.

"Then why didn't you save her?" he screams his fist connecting with the wall, barely registering the pain of his knuckles breaking even as the others wince visibly at the sound.

"She was too quick, she must have seen the wall falling, we didn't even know she was there, we thought she was with the others," George responds and then Fred steps forward, his eyes never leaving the girl laying in the bed as he speaks, his voice a whisper.

"It's my fault Charlie, she saved my life but she didn't get out of the way in time, I… she can't… being without her would be like being without George, I…" he trails off but the impact of his words is enough to have the fight leave Charlie and his body to sag as he slumps to the floor, his head buried in his hands, hoarse sobs ripped from his throat.

For a long moment no one moves or speaks, Fred and George are trying to comfort one another as they eventually move back towards the bed both conjuring chairs with whispers and sitting beside her. Harry glances between them and his friends before moving to her other side, conjuring two chairs, he knew Charlie would need one and he slumps heavily into the other. Ron is looking, distraught, he had never seen his brothers act like this. Sure he was hot headed and Percy had put the family through hell and he had seen Bill lose his temper, especially since he had been attacked by Fenir but this… Charlie had always been the calm one, the twins the jokers, this terrified him and the thought of losing Sasha after everything she had done to help them, help him. She had saved his life countless times over the years and the rest of his family and friends. Hermione feels her heart break as she observes them all. Sasha was one of her closest friends, someone she looked up to, had always looked up to and so she took a breath and made herself think about what Sasha would do in this situation. She would be strong, she would look after her boys, guide them as they needed to be guided and so that is what she would do too. Leaning forward slightly she squeezes Ron's hand gently giving him a comforting smile when he looks at her before moving to crouch beside Charlie.

"Charlie," she whispers and when he doesn't respond she takes his hand in his flinching a tiny bit as he hisses at the pain the movement causes and she immediately pulls out her wand and whispers a few healing spells watching as the skin returns to its normal colour as the swelling fades. "Charlie," she tries again once she is satisfied that his hand is healed, "she wouldn't want this, you know that, she loves you, more than anything. She always has but she loves them too, she loves all of us and she knew what she was doing when she saved Fred, it's why you love her, those sacrifices but what she needs right now is for you to be with her, for all of you to be with her and to have faith in her," she finishes and he looks up after a moment, wiping his eyes and nodding as he takes her hand and stands before pulling her towards him and hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," he murmurs, "she'd be… she is, so proud of you," he chokes out and she mumbles something before she returns to Ron's side, burying her head against his neck as he wraps his arms around her, both taking comfort from one another.

"Fred, George, I'm…" Charlie's voice is rough as he approaches his younger brothers but Fred interrupts him as he stands and pulls Charlie into a hug.

"No need, I know," his own voice just as rough and Charlie nods against him holding him just as tightly.

Hours pass as the four men sit silently beside her, watching her breath, praying that she would keep breathing, that she would wake. It seemed impossible to them that around the country, hell, the world, people were celebrating and cheering and laughing with joy because the war was over. They had won, they were finally free of Voldemort forever and yet for the people closest to it, the ones who had fought that final and most crucial battle, the ones who had destroyed him, it felt as though he was still winning. They muse that this is what war really was when you were in it, it didn't go away, it stayed, it haunted you, it would never truly leave them but they could cope with that, they could live with that if she would just come back to them. She had lost so much, so many and they had finally begun to get her back, she had finally begun to get herself back and now this!

"How is she?" Bill asks as he approaches the bed, his fingers automatically stroking the hair from her face as he stands beside Charlie, his other hand resting on his brothers shoulder.

"No change, they say its touch and go," Harry replies robotically and Bill nods as he takes in the state of the others.

"They've set up some rooms down the corridor for us, its over and we're safe but we're going to guard just the same and wards have already been set up," he explains and they nod slowly as they take this information in, "you guys should go get some rest, the family want to see you, get a couple of hours kip, I'll get you if anything changes," he adds and reluctantly the twins and Harry move but Charlie doesn't move.

"I'm not leaving her Bill, I'm never leaving her," he says quietly and Bill smiles a little even as he sighs and moves to the other side of the bed, conjuring a large mug of coffee and floating it over to Charlie, who takes it gratefully before conjuring another for himself and settling down for the night, praying that Sash would wake up soon.


	21. Chapter 21

The dawn finally begins to spread a weak light across the room, tendrils of hope reaching into the darkest corners of the hospital wing. The beds were all full by now, many with friends of the Weasley's who were too injured to be moved to St Mungo's, it was an oppressive atmosphere and one that finally made it just how far the effects of this war, this evil, were from being gone. Soon there was more movement as those who had stabilised were being prepared to be moved to St Mungo's and treated there, whilst in another wing, bodies were being identified. It was all Charlie and the others could do to block the sounds of despair from their corner as they sit watching Sasha's unmoving body, her chest rising and falling as she continued to 'sleep' through the turmoil around her.

"Come on princess, time to wake up now," Charlie whispers to her his fingers gently caressing her scalp as they work through her hair. "Everyone's safe Sash, you kept everyone safe but it is time for you to come back to me now," he continues. It was two sentences that he had been repeating over the last few hours, voice wavering as exhaustion ebbs into his system.

"Charlie dear, you should go get some sleep," Molly says quietly from beside him a few minutes later but he shakes his head. She was the last to try, they had all tried to get him away but he was too consumed by his guilt and grief to listen to them.

"I can't mum, I have to.. she'll need me here when she wakes," he says eventually and she sighs as she sits down beside him.

"She will need you well rested and healthy darling, you know as well as I do that she will kill you herself when she wakes up if you are looking ill and exhausted," she comments and he lets out a broken little sob as he turns suddenly and buries his head in his mums shoulder seeking the comfort that she had so often given him when he was only a small child.

"What if… I can't lose… she doesn't wake?" his speech is broken and muffled and yet the question is clear and Molly's throat constricts as she hears her son so helpless and grief stricken. Sasha was an angel, she had been saving the twins for years, she had saved Ginny's life she had saved Ron, Hermione and Harry's lives more times than she could count. Molly knew better than most just what a crucial role Sasha had played throughout the years and yet she had never once asked for recognition or praise, even Ron had struggled with that but not Sasha, always content to be in the shadows watching over them and saving them when they needed it and now she had very nearly paid the ultimate price. No, she couldn't give up on her, too much relied on her, Charlie would never recover from losing her and the twins wouldn't either, Bill too was incredibly close to the girl, she sometimes mused at the fact that Sasha had become best friends with the twins when she seemed to be even closer to her oldest two sons. Oh and Harry would be so lost without her, no, she had to survive, the entire Weasley family were dependant on her in some way or another and would be broken without her.

For sometime mother and son sit together in silence as they watch over the unconscious young woman until a healer approaches with two other medi-wizards trailing behind. Charlie tenses as they run a series of scans before lifting her head slightly and tipping a series of potions down her throat which make her screw up her face and choke a little even in unconsciousness.

"How is she?" Molly asks one hand now resting against Sasha's leg whilst the other grips Charlie's, attempting to offer some comfort.

"She is through the worst of it, the tests show she is healing well," Charlie feels his entire body sag in relief at this news.

"So she's going to be okay?" he says, voice rough from crying and the medi-wizard offers him a gentle smile as he nods a little.

"I believe so yes, she will remain asleep for another 24 hours until we are sure that all internal injuries are healed or healing but then she should be fit to travel home if she is able to remain on bed rest," tears are once more pouring down Charlie's face but this time it is joy and relief that fuels them and not two minutes later Fred, George and Bill are back in the room and for a second they freeze in terror as they see the tears making rivulets down their brother's face until he flings himself at Bill hugging him tightly.

"She's going to be okay, they said she's going to be okay," he cries and the twins let out whoops of joy as they hug each other and Bill murmurs a pray as he holds onto his brother just as tightly.

"Charlie, you should go and rest now," Molly tries again once they have calmed down a little and are once again all standing or sitting around Sasha's bed.

"I can't mum, I have to be here," he says with a sigh of frustration, and she sighs too looking to Bill for help.

"Mate she'll kill you if you're this rough looking when she wakes up, they said you've got twenty four hours so how about you shower and clean up and catch a few hours sleep while the twins and I look after her and then you can come back," Bill reasons quietly and Charlie turns conflicted eyes on him for a moment before finally relenting and nodding his head slightly.

"Okay," he mutters getting up and leaning over her, his fingers pushing through her hair until his hand rests gently against her cheek. "I'm going to get a shower and some sleep princess but the twins and Bill will be here and I'll be back before you wake up I promise, I love you Sash," he whispers, kissing her softly before eventually letting his mum lead him away towards the Gryffindor tower, which they were using, along with the other dorms that weren't destroyed, as a base while they sort out the aftermath of the war.

As he walks through the wreckage of the castle with his mother he has the good sense to realise just how lucky he was. All around him the grief was palpable, bodies were still being recovered and moved to the makeshift mortuary while they waited to be identified and buried, the castle seemed to be a shell of its former glory, every hallway and crumbling wall bearing the evidence of the horrors of that final battle. He was lucky. So very lucky. He had survived and so had, by some miracle, his entire family and now he knew Sasha was going to be okay a weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders. He was also supremely glad that he did not have to break any terrible news about his family to her, he was not entirely sure she would survive losing much more. I mean, they had all lost people, it would have been impossible to fight in a battle like this and not have suffered losses and she would grieve as they all would but at least it would not be family. She could not lose any more family, he was almost glad that she had been unconscious whilst the rest of the wizarding world believed Harry to be dead, she would have shut down again then, he couldn't have seen that, not again it would have broken him as it did her. Of course he had been unaware at the time as to what was going on he was so focussed on Sasha but Bill and George had told him later, filling him in on everything, reassuring his that Voldemort was well and truly dead.

"Charlie, Where's Sash? How is she? Please tell me she's…" Harry's voice is frantic as he sees Charlie entering through the portrait hole and jumping up from the sofa where he was sitting with Ginny charges towards him.

"She's going to be okay Harry darling," Molly answers for him, watching as Harry's face crumples with relief, "now the same goes for you as goes for Charlie, you need to get some rest, she won't be awake until tomorrow afternoon so you have plenty of time to get some sleep," she bosses shooing both boys towards the showers and moving to prepare beds for them both to sleep in.

There is silence as both men, exhausted both physically and emotionally, move slowly around the dormitory bathroom and prepare to shower. They are still silent as they finish and dress before moving to the dormitory bedroom and sinking heavily onto the beds made up there.

"Charle, I…" Harry begins talking quietly, his voice trailing off as he fumbles for the right words to say, "I'm so sorry," he settles for eventually, it is inadequate he knows but he can't think of anything else to say.

"What for Harry, you saved us all?" Charlie turns a slightly concerned gaze on the younger man, taking in the grief and sorrow and pain that hung about him but a relief too, like he was lighter than he had been before but didn't know how to handle it.

"I should have looked after her better, she's always saving me, she's been saving me since I was eleven and when it really mattered I wasn't there," Harry almost whispers and Charlie sighs as he moves to sit beside Harry, his hand resting on his shoulder.

"You were saving our entire world Harry, you sacrificed everything, as you have been forced to do for too long, Sash wouldn't blame you, she won't blame you. She loves you Harry, and she will be glad she was able to play a part in saving you," Charlie reassures him and Harry smiles briefly.

"I'm glad that she, that you both finally got together, you're perfect for each other," he says in response and Charlie blushes a bit as he laughs.

"Yeah well, I couldn't let her slip through my fingers again could I?" he grins and Harry shakes his head.

"No, I guess not," he replies quietly, "I'm glad she has you, she needs someone to look after her, she spends too much time trying to look after the rest of us," and Charlie's hand moves to rest around Harry's shoulders as he offers him a friendly hug.

"I'm glad I have her too and I'll never stop looking after her, now get some sleep little brother, mum's right, Sash will kill us both if we look too knackered when she wakes up," he smiles with a last slap on the shoulder before moving to his own bed again leaving Harry with tears in his eyes and a tight feeling in his chest as he thinks once again how lucky he is to have found a family as good as the Weasley's to take him in. He felt keenly in that moment, perhaps for the first time, how loved he was. He had always missed his family, always felt that he was missing out but now he really knew what having a family was. He hadn't managed to save Lupin and Tonks but he had Teddy now, Mr and Mrs Weasley were going to help him raise him, he had Ginny, he had Ron and Hermione, friends that he could trust above anything to always stand by him, as they always had done. He had the whole Weasley family who treated him as one of their own and he had just been given confirmation, not forced, not rehearsed, just genuine, heartfelt confirmation that he was a part of the family even before he made it official when he proposed to Ginny, which he fully planned on doing, in a few years. Perhaps most importantly though, he had Sasha, a friend who had become a sister, a pillar of strength to him in his younger years and during the last stages of this war. He had watched her lose so much, as much, more even than he had. Had watched her waver on the edge of her sanity while everything seemed to fall apart in her world and had seen her pull herself back and survive to be stronger than ever and he loved her as if she was his family. She was his idol and he made a resolution in that moment, as he stared up into the darkness, minutes before sleep claimed him, that when she woke he would tell her as much, that he would make sure their world knew just how important she was!

The sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon when Charlie wakes, realising with a start that he had slept through the whole day and night. Jumping up he hurriedly rushes to splash some water over his face and pull on some fresh clothes before running down to the common room, pausing for just a second to reminisce about all the times he had run down those stairs as he was growing up here, particularly the times in his last year when Sasha would be waiting in the common room for the twins ready to get up to some mischief or other.

"Charlie wait up a second," a voice calls and he looks up to see Bill hurrying towards him and just for a moment he freezes in fear until he recognises the relaxed gait his brother is using, the smile on his face.

"I need to get back to Sash," he mutters as he turns back to the portrait hole as Bill reaches his side.

"I know, I'm coming with you," he replies simply and Charlie nods, grateful of the company and of the fact that Bill knew him well enough to just be with him, to let him think without prying, that he loved Sasha as much as Harry did, as much as the twins did. They walk together in companionable silence, Charlie desperate to be by her side again. It seems crazy to him now, that he was able to live without her beside him for so long, he had only been able to hold her in his arms for a few short weeks in Romania before she had left to help Harry, Ron and Hermione but now he felt he would never be able to rest fully again without her there, beside him, where she belonged. They can both hear voices as they approach and recognise them as the twins instantly and something in him warms him slightly, to know she is protected by them all, that they had sat there all night with her while he had slept.

"We have to tell him though George," Fred is saying and the two older men falter slightly in their steps as they hear that, exchanging confused glances.

"We should leave it to Sash to tell him," George argues back to which Fred lets out a frustrated growl.

"She's fragile, you know that, if we tell him then he'll be able to help her without her having to relive it all," Fred shoots back,

"She's stronger than any of us, always has been, you know that and it's up to her to tell him," but before either of them could say anything else Bill and Charlie round the corner and startle the twins who are sitting on one side of her bed.

"Tell me what?" Charlie asks and the gulps from both his brothers would be comical were he not so worried.


	22. Chapter 22

He takes a moment to check how she is, to take in and smile a little at the fact that she is looking slightly less pale, the frown of pain gone from her face, whilst Bill pulls up two chairs and pushes him down into the one closer to her head before turning back to the twins.

"Tell me what I apparently need to know," Charlie says again when the twins have let the silence drag on for too long.

"It's, it's about the night her mum died," George says eventually and Charlie and Bill once again exchange glances both of them seeing before their eyes once more the scene that had confronted them when they had gone to her house that night to collect her.

"What about it?" Bill asks when he realises that Charlie is not quite able to speak at the moment, his face alternating between the twins and Sasha's.

"He was there that night, Voldermort, he was the one who killed her Mother, the one she fought," Fred says in a rush and both Charlie and Bill stare at them in open mouthed, stunned silence, slumping back into their seats in shock.

"Why are you telling me this now though?" Charlie asks after what seems like hours of silence and the twins glance at each other again before looking back at him, George reaching out to grasp Fred's hand in support before he speaks.

"They came to check her earlier," George starts and both Charlie and Bill freeze, Charlie's fingers reaching instinctively for hers, "she's going to be fine, I promise, they said she'll make a full recovery but the… the hit on her head it, she may have forgotten some things, they think that most of it will come back to her eventually but there will be nightmares and flashbacks and well, you needed to know," he finishes and Charlie bows his head as he tries to digest this new information.

"I'm not sure I can take much more of this," he murmurs eventually and Bill claps him on the back in an act of startled reassurance,

"Mate, she's going to be okay, she'll still be the same old Sasha," he tries but Charlie shakes his head before turning tortured eyes on his brother.

"What if she doesn't remember me, remember us? I was ready to go find a ring and make her mine forever and now I don't even know if she'll remember me," tears are in his eyes once more as he looks down at her.

"She'd never forget you, you've been her entire world since she was eleven years old and ran straight into you in the common room and you stopped her falling straight backwards into the fire," George tells him with a smile and he gives a weak one in response as he remembers that day too.

 **Flashback**

 _It was the first weekend at Hogwarts for Sasha and the twins and to say she was excited to explore was an understatement. She felt as though she had been in a dream since she got her letter. Both her parents and she had believed it was some sort of practical joke at first but sure enough, when she finally managed to convince them to follow the directions to Diagon Alley in London, a new world had opened up to her and she felt like everything made sense at last._

 _When she had made her way on to platform nine and three quarters a few short weeks later she had been unable to keep the wonder from her face or speech as she bounced up and down with excitement. It was an hour later as she boarded the train at a sprint, having very nearly missed it whilst wandering around the platform staring in wonder at the various families, and consequently sprinted headlong through a compartment door and landed in an unceremonious heap at the feet of the two most identical twins she had ever seen. They had struck up conversation and found that they had a lot in common and later that night she had seen their two older brothers briefly too when she had been sorted into Gryffindor with them and celebrated by accidentally throwing a cup of pumpkin juice all over a passing Ravenclaw Prefect who had not been amused. The twins however had found it hilarious and had very nearly cried from laughing and whilst Percy, who was only two years older than them had grunted in disapproval, Charlie, who was in his 6th year was chuckling along with them before turning back to his conversation with other students in his year. The twins had already told her that they had another older brother who had been head boy last year and that they also had a younger brother and sister and being an only child she was both enraptured and jealous of them and made a silent vow to become their best friend. As it turns out she hadn't needed to worry, within the first two days they had become fast friends and the twins in turn had talked at some length about pranks they could let her in on. Right from the beginning she fitted in and today they were set to explore the castle properly._

 _The first week had gone quickly for all of them and work had been hard, especially for Sasha, as this was all new to her but she was a hard worker and she was extremely clever, quickly pegged by teachers as being the smartest they had seen in a long time, possibly the brightest of her generation._

 _"_ _Sasha?" the shout is a question from the twins who are waiting impatiently in the common room while she ran back to her dorm to grab her wand, she really did need to get more organised._

 _"_ _Coming," she yells back before apologising as her still sleeping dorm mates grumbled at her. Quickly picking up her wand and putting it in her back pocket she fairly flew down the stairs and back into the common room where she hits a brick wall that she doesn't remember being there before and yelps in shock as two thick arms shoot out and grab a hold of her to stop her falling into the large fireplace._

 _"_ _You alright there titch?" the wall asks as she looks up to see someone she recognises to be Charlie Weasley and she blushes immediately as her heart speeds up. She had never experienced a crush before, always the tomboy, more interested in causing trouble than impressing boys so it was a feeling that confused her._

 _"_ _Sash… earth to Sash?" a voice washes over her and she blinks to see a smirking Fred enter her line of vision._

 _"_ _Shut up Fred," she pouts and hears a whistle from above her,_

 _"_ _You can tell them apart?" Charlie asks with an impressed look on his face and it is her turn to smirk a little up at him._

 _"_ _Yep," she explains popping the 'p' "it's easy really, Fred is fatter and he has there extra freckles between his eyebrows that if you squint make him look like he has a unibrow," she laughs before yelping and hiding behind Charlie as Fred launches at her as George is rolling around on the sofa laughing uncontrollably._

 _"_ _Why you little…" Fred is muttering although there is a smile on his face as he playfully makes a grab at her which she dodges, still using Charlie as her hiding place._

 _"_ _Save me Charlie, you are hereby charged my bodyguard and if you refuse I'll turn you into a dragon and then you can burn everyone that comes near me," she says and they all laugh again._

 _"_ _So, they already told you I want to go work with dragons then?" Charlie asks and she stops suddenly to stare up at him._

 _"_ _No way! You can do that? That's the coolest job ever! Tell me everything I want to know how I can go work with dragons," She says, eyes wide in wonder as she stares up at him causing both twins to huff as they move to drag her away from their brother._

 _"_ _Later Sash, we have a castle to explore and pranks to plan," George mutters and she growls a little at them, clearly torn._

 _"_ _But…" she starts, staring wistfully towards Charlie who grins at her._

 _"_ _No worries little dragon tamer, I'll tell you all about it when you've finished pranking, just don't prank me," he replies and she flushes at the nickname as he disappears from sight as she is dragged round the corner._

"She was a whirlwind from the beginning," George says, knowing that the faraway look in his brothers eye meant that he was remembering that day.

"Sash has loved you since that day Charlie, she'll never forget you," Fred adds gently and Charlie smiles weakly back at them.

The four men sit talking quietly to one another for a few hours until she begins to stir and three of them move silently away so that the two lovers could have a few moments together. Consciousness seems to drift back over her like a curtain being drawn and it takes a long moment for her to work out where she is and what happened.

"Charlie?" the first word out of her mouth is a whispered raspy sound and it makes Charlie's heart sing with joy to hear it, his emotions so overwhelming he can barely get his words out.

"Yes princess, I'm here, I'm with you," he manages after a moment, his hand gripping her fingers as she stares up at him in a haze, watching as she tries to work out what has gone on.

"There was… I was… Fred!" she suddenly says in alarm and he instantly moves to comfort and still her as she attempts to sit up, whimpering in pain as she does so.

"Shhh, he's okay, you saved him, he's fine," he says earnestly and she calms down a little after a moment her fingers moving to trace the contours of his face slowly, almost reverently taking in his every feature.

"And the others?" she asks after a moment, and he merely smiles, his own fingers tracing her features as he stares into her eyes, the beautiful green eyes that he had thought he may never see again, so like Harry's that he had been unable to look at him since he had arrived and seen her lying so still and pale, too afraid that he would break down.

"They're okay, Harry fought so well, you'll be so proud when you hear and Ron and Hermione and the rest of the family, they're all safe princess," he murmurs, his fingers never ceasing in their journey across her skin, his eyes taking in every detail of her, happiness and relief singing through his veins and making heart light.

"That's good," she smiles before the smile falters a little, "Charlie, I can't feel my legs," she whispers after a little pause and he freezes as he looks at her, seeing the fear in her eyes even though she has tried to mask it.

"I…" he breaks off to gulp before calling to the healers, who rush over at his startled cry, "she can't… she can't feel her legs," he stutters out, trying to hold onto her fingers even as they push him away to run some scans.


	23. Chapter 23

"What is it? What's going on?" Harry asks as he rushes over with Bill, having heard Charlie's yells for help.

"She can't feel her legs," Charlie murmurs eventually and the two other men gasp in shock and dismay.

"Oh God," Harry moans eventually, sinking to the floor, his back against the wall, "it's not fair," he adds, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, we don't know what's going on yet do we? Let's not condemn her to a life without her legs just yet ay?" Bill tries, his own voice wavering ever so slightly as he stands before Harry, his hand outstretched, "besides," he says looking at both Harry and his brother, "she'll be in enough pain and she needs our support," they both look at him in slight confusion, their brows furrowed as they stare at him.

"Why would you even say that Bill? As if I wouldn't stand by her," Charlie growls slightly and Bill sighs, wondering briefly when Charlie had become more volatile than Ron or himself before he turns to answer him.

"Sometimes I wonder if you know her at all," he exclaims, a bit of frustration seeping into his own tone as he does so, "of course you'll stand by her, we all will, I know that but think about who she is for a second, she'll think she's being a burden, she'll think she's not good enough and she'll try to push you away, she'll try to push us all away so you need to be prepared we all do," he finishes and Charlie has the good grace to look a little shamefaced as he realises the truth in what Bill has said.

"So what do we do?" Harry croaks out eventually, his eyes pleading with Bill to make everything better and it breaks the older mans heart that this kid, for that is what he was still, a child, a seventeen year old who should be busy causing trouble instead of suffering still. He had spent his life fighting a war he had no choice but to be a part of and now that he had defeated the enemy and saved the wizarding world he felt as though he was losing the only family he had.

"We look after her, whether she wants us to or not, even when she pushes us away and is cruel to us because she will be, she won't mean it but she'll be angry and frustrated and we hope it is temporary," Bill tells them and they nod moving towards the healer who has just walked away from her bed.

"What's going on?" Charlie asks after a tense moment of silence as the healer jots something down on his notepad.

"She is still healing and so we won't know the full extent of the damage for another couple of weeks. We can't find anything on the scans, they show that everything is okay with her back, that her spinal cord is undamaged but she definitely has no feeling below her waist, the tests have proved that. At this stage we can only assume it is something to do with her brain rather than her spine and if that is the case there is no telling when or if she will recover the use of her legs," he explains and Harry hangs his head in despair even as Charlie clings to any hope he can.

"So what do we do?" Charlie asks after another moments pause and the healer looks up with a weary smile, he had seen a lot of death these last few days, so much pain, so much worthless loss of people far too young and he was tired, so bone achingly tired and emotionally drained from it that he hoped that Miss Sasha Greening would recover, that along with those like the boy who had saved them all, who stood broken before him now, would restore some hope and joy to the world.

"Take her home, keep her on bed rest for the next week and then when she is fully healed physically, begin to try and get her moving her legs and walking again, we'll revisit in a month or so and check on progress," the healer explains before making his excuses and rushing off to continue his rounds and console more distraught families.

"Come on then," Bill says gently guiding the other two towards Sasha's bed and rounding the corner they, all three, have to steal themselves at the look of fear and pain that she was trying so hard to keep off her face for their sakes.

"Hi," she says weakly once they are all sitting down, her fingers held tightly in Charlie's, Harry is barely able to look at her, guilt filling him as he thinks once again about how he should have done more to protect her.

"Hey princess," Charlie manages to say after a while in a reasonably steady voice and she makes a funny little noise as she tries desperately to hold her emotions in check.

"Titch," Bill sighs after a while, the nickname he had stolen from Charlie after he had first written to him and told him about the twins little whirlwind of a best friend at school, rolling off his tongue so easily he feels as though he has been saying it his entire life. He sometimes wonders how he had survived the first eighteen years of his life without the little spitfire in it, she had had a huge impact on his life, she had become one of his closest friends and most trusted confidant even with such an age gap.

"I know," she whispers before looking at the others, "Harry, Charlie, would you mind if I speak to Bill for a minute, maybe you can tell the others?" they nod and move to stand Harry moving away quickly but she catches Charlie'f fingers again, "Charlie, I… where are we going to go?" she asks in an even quieter whisper and he sighs a little as he leans over her, kissing her softly, relishing for a second the soft warmth of her lips and the tiny gasp of pleasure from her.

"We go back to the Burrow for now, then, who knows, we have forever to decide princess, how about I go tell mum and dad while you talk to Bill eh?" he says and she nods a tiny amount, a weak smile making its way onto her face as he kisses her again before moving away.

For a few minutes Sasha and Bill are silent as he watches her and she stares at the ceiling trying to pull together her thoughts and work out what to say.

"Did you speak to the doctor, I mean healer?" she asks eventually when the silence becomes too much for her.

"Yes," he answers and she nods at him, a few tears finally leaking out of her eyes despite her efforts to swipe them away and he is briefly reminded of the first time he had seen her cry and how he had vowed to never see it happen again. He had failed at that he mused. He had seen her cry far too often.

"I don't know what to do Bill," she murmurs after another moments silence and he sighs again sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling her towards him, her head resting against his chest as she breaks down, sobs making her body shake.

"It's going to be okay titch, I promise, it'll all be okay," he whispers to her, holding her tightly to him, his check resting against the top of her head.

"You don't know that," she heaves out eventually, her words catching on sobs as she pulls away from him and stares defiantly into his eyes.

"Yes I can," he replies, staring back at her, staring directly into her swollen and bloodshot eyes and she flushes a bit in anger at his defiance and refusal to see how horrific this situation was.

"How can it possibly be okay Bill, everything is different, I can't walk, I might… I might never walk again and then what, I couldn't stay and be such a terrible burden to Charlie and the rest of your family," she screams suddenly pounding her fists against his chest as more tears leak from her eyes.

"Stop being so bloody negative Sash, there is nothing to suggest that this is permanent and you're alive, we're all alive, you saved Fred and the others," he tries but she merely shakes her head again so he tries another tack instead, grasping her face in his hands and making her stare directly into his eyes again, "do you remember the first summer you stayed at the Burrow?" he asks and she gazes at him in confusion.

"Yes, why?" she whispers eventually and he smiles gently at her leaning forward slightly to place a kiss against her forehead and then moving to once again sit in the chair beside her.

"Do you remember the Quidditch match we played?" he asks and comprehension dawns on her face as she flushes a little turning her face away from him as she nods which makes him smile.

 **Flashback**

 _The summer was a warm one and Sasha was practically bouncing with excitement as she waited by her fireplace at home for Charlie to arrive and show her how to use the floo system so she could go and visit the Weasley family for the last three weeks of the holidays._

 _"_ _Sasha darling, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet if you keep that pacing up," her dad laughs and she blushes a little before squealing a noise that was a mixture of excitement, joy and fright as the fireplace suddenly lights up bright green and with a whooshing sound Charlie's frame appears in it._

 _Even at twelve years old Sasha knows that Charlie is handsome and that the crush she had had on him since the beginning of the school year had not faded or gone away but merely strengthened and grown but he was her best friends' older brother and so she swallowed her giggle when he hugs her quickly and instead merely blushes a little and hugs him back before rushing to say goodbye to her parents and bouncing back towards him._

 _Her arrival had been a whirlwind and she had very nearly vomited as soon as she fell out of the fireplace before being scooped up by the twins and practically flying round the house, her eyes wide with amazement and wonder and straight into Bill._

 _"_ _Oof, steady on there you little rocket," he laughs as he pulls her back and notes her icy blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, "let me guess you're_ ** _the_** _Sasha that my brothers can't stop talking about," he says and she nods with a slight flush._

 _"_ _Yeah, sorry, you must be Bill, this house is amazing, I love it, can we go ride our brooms, oh we could play Quidditch, the twins and Charlie told me you were good too and I so need to practise and I can't practise at all at home because my neighbours would see and my parents would go mental if they knew I rode a broom round because to tell you the truth I think they thought I was joking when I told them and I haven't really corrected them because I don't want them to ban me or anything," she is speaking so fast she can feel herself very nearly passing out from lack of oxygen as she breaks off and takes a huge gulp of air in._

 _"_ _Go get your brooms then, you can borrow my old one little dragon tamer," Charlie laughs from behind them and so Sasha and the twins rush out the back door while the two oldest Weasley siblings laugh and follow behind at a much slower pace._

 _"_ _She's a whirlwind isn't she," Bill chuckles as he watches her weave between his twin brothers, "and she's good on a broom too," he adds as he watches her dive and swerve._

 _"_ _That she is big brother, I think she's good for them though, she's as much of a troublemaker as they are but she's a hard worker too and spends a lot of time nagging them to do their homework and working out ways for them to avoid getting caught and she is clever, like really clever Bill I think she might even beat you out when she gets there, I've never seen anyone pick things up so quickly," he exclaims and Bill raises an impressed eyebrow as he glances back over to her just in time to see her pull up a little too late and lose control slightly, her broom spinning and her body flying in the opposite direction, a scream echoing across the garden before a sickening thump as she hits the ground._

 _By the time Bill and Charlie reach her she is sitting up gingerly and Bill can see plainly how hard she is trying not to scream and cry. Her young face pale and taught with pain as he crouches in front of her._

 _"_ _Fred, George, go get mum will you tell her there's been a bit of an accident," he says quickly before turning back to her and offering her a gentle smile, "right titch, let's get you a bit of relief first yeah?" he exclaims pulling out his wand and casting a quick pain relief spell, relaxing slightly when she sighs a little and slumps backwards against the tree she knocked into._

 _"_ _Thanks," she whispers and he smiles again, his smile falling when she turns tortured eyes on him, he doesn't really understand it then but something about those eyes makes him want to only ever see her happy. He has known this girl less than an hour and already she seems to have found a place in his family and apparently into his heart as well, maybe it was because she reminded him so much of Ginny, she may be several years older than his little sister but she was tiny and she was still a good seven years younger than him. "What's going to happen to me now?" she asks in a slightly wavering voice and he furrows his brow in confusion._

 _"_ _What you talking about Sash?" Charlie asks from beside him where he is concentrating on healing the little cuts and bruises she had gained in her fall, he had begun learning basic healing spells this year when he realised that he wanted to work with magical beasts and figured that it would probably come in useful._

 _"_ _Am I going to be in trouble? Am I going to be sent home? Oh god what if it's really bad? I wanted to try out for the Quidditch team next year, I'll never be able to fly again and I so love to fly," she is working herself up now and fat tears are beginning to drip down her pale cheeks as her lips tremble with the force of trying to hold everything in._

 _"_ _Of course you're not in trouble, it was an accident Sash," Charlie answers with a grin but she is still crying and shakes her head._

 _"_ _But I've ruined everything, I'll never be able to fly I was just so excited, I've never had brothers and sisters or friends to play with like this, I've ruined everything," she is outright sobbing by the time she has finished speaking and the two brothers share an alarmed glance before Bill moves forward to embrace her, shifting slightly to avoid her arm when she hisses in pain._

 _"_ _Sasha, it's going to be okay, we're magic remember, it's just a broken bone sweetheart, mum can have that healed by the morning," he reassures her and she sniffs a little as she looks up at him._

 _"_ _Really? You mean I'll still be able to fly?" she asks, desperate hope shinning in her eyes and he grins down at her a little, even as he hears his mum rushing towards him._

 _"_ _When you have magic anything is possible titch," he whispers._

Sasha smiles at him slightly as she remembers that afternoon and feels a tiny hope blossom in her heart.

"You told me that when you have magic anything is possible," she murmurs to him and he smiles at her standing to give her another kiss on the forehead.

"Exactly and don't you forget it because you well know that the only thing more powerful than magic is love and you have so much of that around you titch, now get some rest, we're going to make the arrangements to take you home," he says and she nods, accepting the dreamless sleep potion he hands her and soon drifting off into a peaceful slumber.


	24. Chapter 24

It is dark when she wakes up and she knows immediately that she is at the Burrow, the smell of home and baking and laundry and lots of teenage boys is unmistakable and she loves it.

"Hey Princess," Charlie's voice is hoarse and exhausted and it breaks her heart to hear him sound so defeated.

"What's wrong?" she asks quietly, waiting as he shifts from his seat beside her bed to stand and walk to the window briefly and she sighs as she watches him attempt to gather himself.

"I thought when he died it would be over but it's not is it?" he asks and for the first time in her life she realises that it's up to her to help him instead of the other way round.

"Evil never really goes away Charlie and neither does suffering but the worst is over I promise you that. We survived Charlie, we're safe and we can start to recover now, start to rebuild a bit now," she begins and he turns towards her now, tears shinning in his eyes.

"So many people died Sash, I was so scared, I thought that I had lost you and I didn't know what to do," he murmurs and she smiles, albeit weakly, as she reaches out for his hand.

"But you didn't lose me, I'm right here and I'm staying right here," she whispers and then smiles again as she gets an idea, "take me outside Charlie," she says suddenly and he looks up startled.

"But it's the middle of the night princess," he replies looking confused and she laughs a little,

"I know, let's go lay in the garden and stare up at the stars like we used to all those years ago," and he smiles too this time leaning over her and gently lifting her into his arms.

Silently he makes his way through the house, holding her close to his chest and relishing the warmth of her breath against his neck. Eventually they make it out into the garden where he lays her down, after conjuring a blanket, and then sits beside her, casting a warming charm around them before he lays down too, his arm under her neck and her cheek pressed into his shoulder. For a while they are silent as they both stare into the darkness, watching the clouds drifting over stars and both lost in thought.

"It's funny isn't it," Sasha murmurs after a while and she can feel him shift to stare down at her before returning his gaze to the stars too.

"What is princess?" he asks and she smiles a little although only a sigh escapes her and for a moment she is silent again. It stretches on between them for long enough that Charlie is just beginning to think that she has fallen asleep.

"So much has changed," she starts then and he turns his head towards her again making a noise in his throat to let her know he was listening. "Everything has changed, I have… we have all lost so much and yet here we are, back where it all started," she breaks off again and he shifts slightly now to lean over her searching her face carefully, worried she may slipping back into the depression she suffered after losing her mother but she just smiles sadly up at him, her fingers reaching out and tracing the contours of his face with a feathery light touch that causes him to shiver slightly. "You brought me out here, to watch the stars that first time I visited, after the accident at quidditch, do you remember?" she finishes and he smiles too, leaning down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

"I remember, you've been a whirlwind since the moment I met you and even then you were special to me, I didn't know in what way, back then I thought you were just to be a new little sister and I cherished you in that way but when I came back and saw you again it changed irrevocably and I fell so quickly in love with you it terrified me," he whispers into her lips, intermittently setting little kisses against her cheeks and lips.

"I just think its so strange that we are still here, in the exact same place, you trying to make me feel better after an accident of some kind and yet… yet everything has changed so much it sometimes feels as though nothing will ever be normal again, nothing will ever be the same again," she is frowning now as she attempts to organise her thoughts into something cohesive and it is his turn to smile sadly at her.

"Do you wish it could go back to the way it was before?" he asks now, suddenly and inexplicably terrified that she wouldn't want him anymore, that he should have fought harder for her to stay with him, that she would secretly hate him for not being there to protect her.

"No," she answers after a moments hesitation, bringing him back to the present and out of his musings, "I hate the things that have happened Charlie, I miss those I have lost every day, it aches inside me sometimes I miss them so much but through it all I found you, through everything I was able to find the strength to tell you that I love you and I couldn't regret that, I couldn't ever wish to change that," she finishes tearfully and he makes a strangled sound as he suddenly wraps her in his arms, his head buried against her neck, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there Sash, I so wish I had been there," he is muttering now, over and over again.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, concern creeping into her voice as she pushes him away a bit so as to look him in the eye.

"I should have been there to protect you, I should have been there," he says and she laughs then, incredulity in her tone.

"Charlie, you haven't done anything wrong, you were where you needed to be and it was my choice to leave and I wouldn't change anything, I got to save my best friend, I don't regret that, not for a second," she says back earnestly watching as he studies her before sighing and lying back down on his side, his fingers resting against her waist and she cringes slightly at the fact that she still couldn't feel her legs, for a moment she had forgotten, she hadn't really considered before now how this may affect their lives. "You know, you can leave if you need to," she whispers now and he laughs in confusion.

"I'm happy here princess, why are you getting cold?" he asks and she shakes her head before sighing heavily.

"If you need to, if you want to… I… I won't hold you to anything, it's different now," she tries and he sits up on his elbow again now staring down at her with a terrifyingly open and serious expression.

"What are you talking about Sash, I love you, only you, nothing has changed that," he says but she merely shakes her head.

"Everything has changed Charlie, I'm not stupid, people forget because of Hermione but I was the smartest before she even arrived at Hogwarts. I can't feel my legs, I may never get them back and what use will I be then? I will be so angry, my entire life has been about flying and adventure and movement and yours has too, yours still is," she exclaims and he still stares down at her in utter bewilderment. "You work with dragons Charlie, what happens when you go back to Romania, when you're back to your normal life and I'm left here, broken?" she can feel the anger and fear building in her as she finishes, her final words louder than she meant them to be and for a moment he sits there in silence, staring at her as she pants with the exertion of her little speech.

"Do you really think that little of me Sash?" he asks eventually and she glances at him before staring back at her fingers, which are playing with the edge of her t shirt. "I have loved you for so long Sasha, since before I even really understood it or knew it. I looked after you when you were a child, I was there when you gave up, when you fought, when you chose someone else and I will never leave you, I would take anything I can have with you over not having you. You must trust that I love all of you, forever, just as you put up with my short comings," she is shamefaced and guilty by the time he has finished and whilst she still believes that it is not going to be that easy she loves him too much to hurt him right now and maybe there is a part of her who wants to believe him.

"I'm sorry, you're right, I love you," she whispers and he doesn't move for a second and she almost thinks that he is angry with her for doubting the strength of their burgeoning relationship or that he was having second thoughts but those thoughts fly from her head as she gathered against his chest his arms tight, solid and warm around her, creating a safety she could get from nowhere else.

"It will be okay princess, I promise it will be okay," he whispers as he holds her to him listening as she breathes him in and relishing it.

"I wish we could be as still as the stars sometimes, just keep things at a distance and be safe," she says quietly and he frowns in slight confusion.

"You confuse me sometimes princess," she smiles at that as she looks up at him with a weak little smile at him.

"Fred is struggling isn't he?" she asks now and he moves again so that she is lying back on the blanket staring up at him as he hovers over her.

"He feels guilty," he answers eventually and she nods shifting her gaze to the sky for a moment before staring back at her.

"Okay, how do I make him stop?" he smiles as she asks this and sighs, leaning down to kiss her gently, his heart pounding as it does every time he remembers that he can do this whenever he likes, that she responds so quickly and readily to his every touch.

"I am not sure that he will ever stop feeling guilty but we can help show him that you do not regret your decision," he answers her and she sighs again her fingers gripping the front of his top as if anchoring herself to him somehow.

"I would never regret it, I suppose I just have to show him how pleased I am he is safe," she smiles, "can we go to bed now?" she asks and he nods, kissing her again before picking her up and giving her his wand so she can get rid of the blanket and warming charm, loving the way she snuggles into him as the cool wind can now be felt against their skin.


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning dawns brightly and, when she stirs, for a brief second she forgets she can't walk pulling herself into a sitting position and leaning across for a glass of water yelping as she falls face first out of bed. Tears of frustration quickly pooling in her eyes when she remembers that she can't walk and then humiliation as she realises that she has wet herself and didn't even realise.

"Sash," George is first through the door and the embarrassment is overwhelming as she looks up at him.

"GET OUT!" she screams and he is so shocked he laughs which makes her scream again yelling the same words over and over again until Molly and Charlie rush in and only then does Molly realise what has happened and ushers all the men from the room before sealing it shut and turning back to the sobbing, shaking girl on the floor.

"It's okay Sweetheart, let's get this all cleaned up and you back in bed and then we'll have a chat," she says gently and all Sasha can do is nod in silence, occasional sobs and whimpers the only sound escaping her or indeed permeating the room as Molly goes about cleaning her and then changing the sheets and her clothes before levitating her back into bed.

"I can't live like this," she murmurs eventually, "I can't make Charlie live like this, make you all live like this," she continues, the tears now once again making steady tracks down her swollen cheeks and Molly merely sighs as she sits on the bed beside her, conjuring a box of tissues for the girl as she does so.

"Sasha, I have seen both Bill and Charlie in worse states than that after a night of too much fire whiskey, there is no need to distance yourself from them, from any of us," she whispers and Sasha tries to smile she really does but she can't.

"The difference is that I'm stuck like this," she says thickly and Molly sighs again before grunting as she conjures a glass of water.

"You don't know that, none of us do and there are spells that can stop what happened this morning from happening again, Sasha you have to believe that you can get better or it will never happen," she exclaims and Sasha turns tortured eyes on the woman who had been a mother to her these past several years, even before her own mother was taken from her Molly had stepped up and cared for her.

"I so badly wanted to make sure Fred wasn't feeling guilty and now I've made it worse, what must they all think of me?" she asks rhetorically instead and Molly smiles sadly down at the girl.

"They love you Sasha, we all do, they only want you well and happy, that is it, stop underestimating them," she scolds and Sasha has the good grace to look slightly shamefaced as she stares down at her hands.

"Sorry," she whispers and for a moment everything is silent as the two women merely sit together, Molly wondering what was going to happen, how she was going to keep her family together if the paralysis turned out to be permanent. "Can you send Fred in to see me?" Sasha asks quietly after a while and Molly smiles and nods her head as she kisses her on the forehead before moving off fetch her son.

Once outside the room she shuts the door quietly and makes her way wearily down to the kitchen where she knew the rest of the family would be waiting.

"Mum," it is Charlie's voice that sounds first, accompanied by the scraping of several chairs as the people sitting around the table stand.

"Where are the others?" she asks as she moves to make a pot of tea, and start baking some scones, it was a default for her to bake and nest when she was worried or anxious about something and all her children knew it well, which only served to worry them more as they watched her.

Of course Arthur, Percy and Bill were all at the ministry, there was so much to repair, too much to be done and Harry, Hermione and Ron were with Ginny at the castle helping with the clean up, although again the ones left were convinced that they were too scared to see Sasha and they were using the work to be done as an excuse to avoid it. Charlie and the twins though, couldn't escape it, they wouldn't.

"Mum," Charlie tries again and she sighs now as she turns and places the tea on the table, sitting and gesturing for her sons to do the same.

"She's trying to be brave, you know what she's like but she's struggling," she says at last and they, all three of them hang their heads slightly. "Fred, she wants to see you, why don't you take her up some of that leftover cake," she says quietly now and after a second he nods his head and silently grabs a plate with some cake on and two forks and then leaves the room.

"What's going on mum?" George asks now, his whole body tense, as it had been since she had screamed at him that morning.

"She's scared George, she's trying to understand where she stands and she is trying to work out how to not be the burden she thinks she now is, on everyone," Molly explains and Charlie lets out a heavy sigh now.

"We talked about this just last night," he exclaims and she stands now, moving to squeeze his shoulder in a comforting gesture, "I thought she was okay with it," he mutters and she smiles a wry smile at the cluelessness of her son.

"She was trying to make you feel better, we don't know, we won't know until she visits St Mungo's next week until then I think we just need to reassure her that we still love her, that she isn't a burden to any of us," they both nod but the sadness and pain is still heavy in the air around the table.

The air was still thick with it when the others began returning home. Bill and Percy first, then Arthur and then the four youngest members of the household.

"What's happened?" Harry asks and it breaks Molly's heart that he so easily sees and recognises pain and grief so easily, he had seen too much of it. They all had.

"Nothing, everything is going to be fine," she replies but he doesn't look convinced none of them do so Charlie looks up from his mug, which he had been brooding in for the last few hours and speaks to them.

"Fred's upstairs with Sash, they've been talking for hours," he explains and the others all relax a tiny amount and move to sit down at the table.

"Right…" Ginny says quietly as she sits down and pulls a mug of tea towards her waiting for the rest of the explanation and Charlie marvels for a second at how intelligent his little sister is. He supposes it is easy to do with Sasha and Hermione around those two always outshone everyone around them but Ginny was far brighter than she ever got credit for, she was much like the twins in that way he mused and he smiles briefly, leaning over to squeeze her arm affectionately.

"She's struggling Gin, she…" he breaks off and sighs as he looks towards his mum for help and she obliges, much as she had always done.

"She has convinced herself that she is a burden, that she'll never get better, that she'll never regain the use of her legs," Molly explains and watches as Harry and George seem to crumple with sorrow, their entire bodies seeming to cave in slightly as they both slump, heads hanging low to the table.

"Oh, poor Fred," Hermione whispers, the others looking to her, all but George and Charlie who knew what she meant, Charlie marvelling at the emotional intelligence of ones so young as Hermione and Ginny although, they have lived through trauma few others could imagine and so, he supposed, they were forced to grow wise beyond their years at an age too young. They weren't afforded the luxury of a youth, the freedom of making stupid mistakes and being reckless in the way he was. When they were reckless it was to save the world, to save their friends and it grieved him that it was something no one could ever give them back.

"I thought we were talking about Sash?" Ron asks, his mouth full of cake and not even Molly or Hermione have the heart to reprimand him for it because there was something inherently comforting about a tiny bit of reality, normality still existing around them, even if it was just that Ron would never learn table manners or lose his appetite.

"We are but don't you see how guilty Fred is going to feel, she got injured saving him," Hermione explains gently,

"But she wouldn't blame him," Ron says in shocked confusion and Hermione sighs in gentle exasperation even as Ginny chokes on a strangled sigh of her own.

"Of course she wouldn't we all know that and Fred does too but it doesn't make it easier does it, we all feel bad, we all hate it and we weren't the ones that got pushed out of the way," Hermione says and then looks up at Molly and Arthur, "what do we do?" she asks, looking more childlike than she had in many a year.

"We carry on as normal, we work, we keep busy and we make sure we keep her busy too, we have to keep her positive, we won't know how long this paralysis is going to last or if it will be permanent until she sees the healers next week but we have to have faith," Molly says to them all and they nod in silence.

"Your mothers right, Sasha is one of us and we will do whatever we can to make her feel safe and happy," Arthur says his arm winding its way around his wife to offer her some level of comfort. This war had been brutal and the recovery was anything but quick. The two Weasley patriarchs had spent countless hours over the last few nights sitting up and talking through their options. They loved their extended family of Harry and Hermione and Sasha as much as their own children and it warmed their hearts to think, Molly more than just thought, she was certain, that they would soon enough all be family officially too. Harry had rekindled his romance with Ginny now that the threat of Voldemort was gone and Ron had finally made his move on Hermione, it made them laugh to think that he was so surprised that she reciprocated his feelings, she had loved him in obvious silence for nearly as long as Sasha had Charlie.

"How do we make her happy though?" Ginny asks quietly, "her whole life has been about flying and adventure and now…" she trails off slightly and swallows the tears that are threatening.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but maybe you could get her to help develop some new products for the shop George?" Molly says with a weak smile and George beams back at her before jumping up and giving her a hug.

"You're a genius mum, that might help Fred with his guilt over everything too," he exclaims and Charlie grins a little too.

"She did always love to prank with the pair of you it might be just what's needed," Bill murmurs,

"Did she? You should have seen the three of them at school, I'm just glad I only had it for a year, not sure I'd have survived longer," Charlie laughs and Arthur smiles as the mood seems to finally lighten just a little bit.

"Do you remember that blushing bubblegum she invented in the third year?" George laughs and then pauses as he sees Fred in the doorway, Sasha held tightly in his arms, for a second everything seems to still and become tense again as they look at her pale face, tear tracks still visible on her cheeks.

"One of my greatest," she smiles slightly and Charlie jumps up to pull out a chair beside him which is quickly transfigured into a comfortable wheelchair making him jump slightly. "Can't have you all carrying me around the whole time," she says by way of an explanation.

"Oh I don't know I quite like it," Charlie whispers as he leans forward and kisses her quickly making her flush slightly.

"What is this about a blushing lolly?" Molly asks in bewildered confusion and the twins and Sasha share a wicked glance before looking over towards a slightly glowering Percy, although, if you looked really closely you could see the relief and happiness that they were getting back to normal, even if only in a tiny way for a tiny moment, it was movement in the right direction and thats what counts.

"Blushing bubblegum," Fred corrects with a grin before George interrupts him to finish the explanation.

"Once you eat one every time you look at or talk to your crush your face goes bright red and the only words that will come out of your mouth are their name, it lasts five hours," by the time he finishes the table are all giggling.

"Percy nearly killed us when he ate one right before his first date with…"

"Penelope," George finishes for Fred again and now the table erupts with hysterical laughter and even Percy is trying to hide his grin.

"You see, this is why I could never regret saving you, you make everything better when it's both of you together and besides what would I do without you here to finish his sentences," Sasha whispers to Fred and he ducks his head quickly to avoid anyone seeing the tears that had suddenly welled in his eyes, his fingers gripping hers tightly.


	26. Chapter 26

A week had gone by since Sasha arrived home and today was the day she found out just how permanent her paralysis was. She had twitched her toes yesterday, at least she thought she had but she was too scared that it was a fluke or a mistake or a trick of the light for her to tell anyone.

"You ready princess?" Charlie whispers to her as he moves into the room and sees her sitting on her chair staring wistfully out of the window and she turns to look at him with so much pain and fear in her eyes it nearly breaks him. She had been through so much, too much and yet had never looked quite as lost as she did now.

"I'm scared Charlie," she admits just as quietly and he lets out a breath as he moves to crouch in front of her taking her hands in his own, always amazed at how well her hands fit within his, how right it felt and his heart lifts a little as he sees her expression soften when she looks down at their intwined hands.

"We're going to get through this Sash, I promise you because this," he breaks off and holds their twinned hands up between them, "the way we fit so perfectly, it means that we can get through anything as long as we have each other," he finishes and she smiles weakly at him leaning forward to kiss him gently before allowing him to carry her downstairs, Bill following down levitating her chair before helping to settle her back into to it.

"Remember titch, anything is possible with magic, don't lose hope what ever happens," Bill whispers to her as he presses a kiss to her temple, his hand against the back of her head holding her still for a moment of contact.

"Thank you," she manages to whisper, her voice thick with emotion and anxiety,

"We're all gonna be there with you titch, always," he adds before stepping away and she looks up blinking as she sees the whole family standing there in front of her, aside from Charlie, who was standing beside her.

"You're all going to be there?" she says shakily and Fred offers her his own watery smile as George claps him on the back and steps forward with a grin.

"Course we are, you're family Sash, always have been, besides think of all those pretty little medi witches that are just waiting to be seduced by a pair of roguish twins," he finishes with a waggle of his eyebrows that has Molly hitting him over the head and the rest of the family giggling, successfully breaking the tension.

The waiting room of the St Mungo's outpatients ward was soon packed with Weasley's as they waited impatiently for Sasha and Charlie to come and tell them the results. She had been scanned and tested and was now in with the mediwizard getting the results and the rest of the family were beside themselves.

The office was stifling as Sasha sat, Charlie gripping one hand tightly the Mediwizard in front of them behind a desk reading carefully through the notes of the tests she had had done this morning.

"How are you feeling Miss Greening?" the healer asks after what feels like an eternity of silence and she glances at Charlie is panic before turning back the man.

"Erm… okay, I… I thought I moved my toes yesterday but I didn't know whether I was dreaming it or not," she whispers in response, feeling Charlie's fingers tighten around her own as she reveals this.

"I don't think you dreamed it," the wizard smiles and the young couple stare at him as they try to work out what he means.

"Does that mean? Will I…?" she can't finish the sentence and he smiles kindly again as he leans forward slightly to pat her knee.

"The damage isn't to your legs or your spinal cord it is your brain," he explains and they both continue to stare at him. "From the looks of these scans things are healing up nicely and I have no reason to believe that you won't regain full movement and be back to normal in time but it may take a few months still to get there," he adds and she breaks down then, sobbing into her hands and then Charlie as he gathers her to him, pulling her into his lap, his own tears soaking into the back of her neck.

"Thank you," Charlie manages to mumble after a few moments and the kindly old healer smiles again before he gets up and rummages in a cupboard for a while before setting some potions on the desk between them.

"Give her this now, it'll calm her and then make sure she takes these every day to speed recovery," he explains and Charlie nods, feeding her the first potion which has her asleep against his shoulder in a matter of seconds and then gathering the rest and shrinking them, puts them into his pocket.

"What is it? What did they say? What happened?" the twins and Harry yell over the top of one another as soon as they see Charlie with Sasha in his arms, the others standing stoically behind them waiting for the answers as they observe Charlie's tear stained face.

"She's going to be okay," he murmurs as tears once again gather in his eyes and Bill is quick to move forward and take the sleeping woman from his brothers arms as Charlie breaks down in relief.

"Let's get home and then you can tell us all about it," Arthur says calmly as he ushers his family towards the apparition point and home.

Once inside, Sasha is quickly settled on the sofa and wrapped up by Bill before he joins the rest of the family in the Kitchen where they were now gathered around the table as Molly bustles around placing tea and cakes on the table.

"So son, tell us what was said," Arthur directs once everyone is quiet and listening and Charlie glances up and towards where Sasha is sleeping in the living room before he speaks.

"The healer said that it was her brain that was injured not her back or legs and the scans show that she is healing well. He says that she will recover fully and it should only be two or three months before she is back to normal providing she takes it easy and exercises properly and takes the potions he has given me," he explains with a smile and there are whoops of joy around the table at this news.

The next few days are the most joyful the Weasley family can remember experiencing in many long years and it feels to them as though, for the first time, they are celebrating the end of the war and the defeat of Voldermort. Sasha is spotted smiling and laughing several times with the twins and even though the trio still have a lot of healing to do and she is still, for the moment at least, confined to the chair the future was once again bright. Harry had a constant grin on his face and looks like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, they all do and the atmosphere around the burrow becomes at once lighter and happier as the family finally begin to settle into some semblance of a routine.

"What about a mint that will transfigure you into an animal of some kind for a few minutes once you bite into it?" Sasha says with a wicked grin as she and the twins sit under the shade of one of the trees in the garden one afternoon. This was her routine now, she woke up and took her potions and did her exercises and then spent the afternoon with one or both of the twins coming up with new ideas for their shop.

"You're a genius you know that Sash?" George grins and she laughs with a little blush and it makes their hearts sing with joy to see her so happy. I mean she was frustrated most mornings and had been dragged outside several times after having shouting matches with Hermione or Ginny or one of the family because she was irritated that it was taking so long to get the use of her legs back and they were telling her not to push herself too hard but they could finally see their Sash emerging again. Their best friend, the one that completed their trio and made them a whole unit, after all these years they saw her old fire back again.

"I know, how do you two think you got any of your marks in school?" she replies cheekily, sticking her tongue out at them both and laughing as they feign horror and hurt before pelting her with grass and leaves from around them.

"So Sash we've been meaning to talk to you…" Fred blurts out suddenly looking flustered all of a sudden and her heart picks up slightly as she turns to George, knowing he would continue.

"Ask you something really," George says, rubbing the back of his neck slightly awkwardly and she feels almost light headed with apprehension.

"What is it?" she asks, her voice sounding tiny even to her own ears as she waits with baited breath for them to put her out of her misery.

"Well the thing is…"

"We were wondering if…"

"What we mean to say is…"

"We want you to be a partner in the business," George finishes and for a second they all three sit in silence before she lets out the breath she had been holding in a rush.

"But… what about… I don't… what?" she asks in bemusement, flushing as they both smirk at her own inability to spit out a sentence coherently.

"Think it over Sash, we want you to be an equal partner, you deserve it," Fred says and George laughs as he adds,

"Besides, you come up with half the ideas for what we sell," the twins sit patiently whilst they wait for this to all sink in and Sasha merely stares from one to the other, her mind racing, unable to say or think anything coherently.

"Just think about it Sash, no rush, no pressure okay," Fred murmurs quietly after a while as both twins get up and head inside, leaving her to her thoughts.


	27. Chapter 27

Charlie wanders into the garden as the sun is setting and looks about him until he spots her silhouette against their tree, the sun setting behind her. For a moment he can't move, so enraptured with the sight that he wishes he could conjure a camera and take a picture to save it forever. She is relishing the quiet and the ending of the day and he could see an expression of peace on her face which made his heart sing. It had been so long since he had seen that look on her face, probably not since she was a child, that summer before her father had died and everything had been changed irrevocably.

"Charlie," she says quietly after a while and he sees that she has noticed him and smiling he walks towards her, sitting beside her and pulling her into his arms immediately, both of them sighing contentedly.

"Hey princess," he murmurs into her hair as he breathes her in and she giggles softly before turning to look at him with a slight frown on her face, "what is it?" he asks, his fingers moving to brush across the frown lines and he marvels for a second that he can do this now. His fingers had itched to smooth out her worry and stroke against the soft skin of her face for so long and for so long he had pushed those feelings away that sometimes it still felt strange that they were really together. That she loved him too.

"Fred and George were out here before," she starts quietly and he chuckles a little as he shifts her round in his arms so that he can see her face more clearly.

"That's not unusual princess, they're out here with you every day," he laughs and she blushes a little as she hits his chest playfully.

"I know that you idiot," she smiles, "they asked me something though and I don't know how to answer it," she says now and he quirks an eyebrow at her.

'What did they ask you?" he prompts gently, noticing with a tiny hint of concern that she is fiddling with her hands and the hem of her skirt, something she only does when she is nervous.

"They asked if I would be a partner in their business," she says so quietly that he almost doesn't hear her at all.

"Well that's amazing isn't it? You deserve to be recognised for all the work you've done for them," her smiles and she does too although it is a weak one and she is once again avoiding his eye. "What's wrong princess? Don't you want to work with them?" he asks now and she does meet his eye for a second this time.

"Of course I do, I love working with them, they're my best friends in the world," she exclaims, a slightly affronted tone in her voice that makes him smile to himself a little.

"Then whats the problem?" and she sighs heavily at this question as if it is the most difficult she has ever been asked.

"It's two things really," she begins after a long silence and he waits patiently for her to gather her thoughts together and continue, "I'm scared that they're only doing it because Fred, because they both feel guilty still. It's been nearly a month since the doctor and I can still only do nice toes, naughty toes, I feel like it will be forever before I can walk again," he tuts at this a bit and she stares at the ground hard to avoid looking at him.

"I'm not going to pretend that they don't still feel that way, they love you and you got hurt saving Fred's life, they will always feel a little guilty about that but they loved you and wanted you to be a part of everything they do since long before that. You three were born to be in this together, you're the original trio," he smiles and she sighs a little nodding her head, hearing the truth in his words and knowing them in her heart. "What's the second thing princess?" he asks after another pause.

"What about us?" she asks in barely a whisper and he stares at her in utter confusion for a moment,

"What about us?" he asks back trying to work out what it is she means and for a long moment she doesn't speak at all.

"Well how can I work for them and be a partner in their business when we go back to Romania? We are both going back aren't we? You're not leaving me?" she asks suddenly, cold dread filling her as she looks up at him and his own eyes widen slightly in horror at the mere thought of being separated from her again.

"No. God no, I'm not leaving you princess but we're not going back to Romania either, at least not permanently," he explains and it is her turn to gape at him a little.

"I don't understand," she says after a while and he smiles gently at her, his fingers moving to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and sighing slightly.

"The truth is Sash I've been running from things for a long time," he starts taking a shuddering breath as he admits things to her that he has never even admitted to Bill. "When I left school I wasn't really sure what to do, I had a number of opportunities at the Ministry or I could have taken up one of the Quidditch team's that offered me trials but none of it felt right. I was only staying because of the family and because of you and then your dad…" he stops for a moment here to watch her and is beyond relieved when he sees that although a brief flicker of pain crosses her face it is more a resigned sadness than the crippling grief it had been before. "I felt wretched and guilty because even then, before I knew what this was, what I felt for you, I knew you were special and I hated that I couldn't help you and so I ran away," he is slightly shamefaced as he admits this and she sighs almost silently as her own fingers reach up to trace the contours of his face.

"Don't say that Charlie, you love your job, you're so good with the dragons and you help them and besides I pushed you all away for a long time," she murmurs and he briefly buries his head against her neck making her giggle as his breath tickles her sensitive skin.

"I did run though and I used it as an excuse when things got difficult but when you left me there the last time, when you came home to fight and I stayed it didn't feel right anymore. I do love working with dragons but I love you more and I love my family more and so I've decided to take up the ministry's offer to build a reserve in Wales, I can commute that way and we can all stay together," he explains and knows instantly that he's made the right decision as her entire face lights up in a way that makes his heart beat far too fast.

"You know I would have gone back with you," she whispers after a while and he chuckles as he nods his head, gripping her slightly tighter.

"I know princess, it's why I love you so much but this way we all get to be happy and most importantly you can keep my troublesome brothers under control because you always have been the only one that can," she laughs then and so does he and from the back porch of the house Molly Weasley wipes her eyes hastily with a handkerchief.

Later that evening the family are sitting around the dinner table chatting happily and Arthur has to squeeze his wife's fingers more than once as she wells up with emotion. He too feels it though and sees it. They are happy again. Still bearing the scars of a lifetime of fighting, still healing both physically and mentally but at last they seem to be happy again and it made the two parents feel a joy that was unparalleled.

"Guys I have something to tell you all," Charlie shouts over the noise as they are finishing up a dessert that had consisted of their mothers incredible crumble and custard that meant nearly everyone having seconds. Silence falls almost immediately and the whole family turn to stare at the second oldest Weasley child as he stands, one hand gripping Sasha's shoulder for moral support and the other gripping his mug of butter beer.

"What is it Charlie?" Arthur asks after a pause and Charlie glances at him before looking towards Bill who was giving him a knowing smirk.

"Well the thing is, since I came home to help and what with Sash's injury and all, we were talking earlier and…" he breaks off coughing awkwardly and taking a gulp of his drink as his face burns slightly.

"Spit it out mate," Bill laughs which has a few of the others chuckling too although the rest of the family are looking more nervous and apprehensive not knowing what is going to be said and all fearing that Charlie and Sasha would be leaving for Romania again.

"I've taken a job opening up a new dragon reserve," he explains and there are a few cheers at this and the twins and Ron both slap him on the back in congratulations but others are exclaiming in dismay.

"You can't it's too soon, Sasha isn't fully healed yet who is going to look after her?" Molly cries,

"I need to be near to give her check ups and potions you can't take her away," Hermione joins and Harry too looks devastated that his 'sister' would be taken away from him. Sasha for her part was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of concern being shown towards her. Of course she knew they loved her, they always had and it had been proven time and time again but this is the first time in a long time that she wasn't buried too far in her grief to really see it and appreciate it and it made tears well in her eyes.

"Calm down and let me finish for peats sake," Charlie roars and silence once again falls, apart from the clattering of a fork as Ron tries to swipe the last bit of crumble from Ginny's plate and is quickly batted away.

"Put them out of their misery little brother," Bill laughs as they all turn to look at him now and he merely shrugs and gestures back to Charlie.

"The new reserve I'm opening is in Wales, it means we can stay here and I can commute, at least until we find somewhere of our own but it means that we will be close and easy to reach," he finishes and for a second there is total silence before the whole table explodes with cheers and food and drink go flying as everyone jumps up to hug and kiss both Charlie and Sasha, although she hasn't done anything at all.

"Does this mean you're going to accept our offer Sash?" George asks as he and Fred crouch beside her chair during the celebrations and she looks from one of them to the other for a moment.

"You have to promise me one thing first," she says eventually and they glance at each other before looking back at her.

"What? Don't tell us we can't test the products on family anymore," they both whine and she laughs out loud.

"Of course not you idiots, half the joy in life is watching Perce or Ron falling for it over and over again," she laughs and they both laugh too, loving more than ever that she had the same wicked, playful sense of humour that they did.

"What is it then?" Fred asks and she sighs before staring at him hard.

"Promise me that you're not just doing this because of what happened in the battle," she says quietly and they each grip one of her hands tightly in one of theirs.

"Of course it is because of that…"

"At least in part…"

"You are part of us Sash, you complete our trio…"  
"Without you we just don't work…"

"We came too close to losing you and this…"

"Making you a partner…"  
"We shoal have done it years ago but it wasn't until the battle that we realised so yes it does have something to do with it but it was always supposed to be this way," George finishes and for a moment they are silent before she sighs and offers them a watery grin.

"You know I hate it when you finish each others sentences like that cos I can never saw no when you do," she whispers and both twins whoop with happiness as they jump up and call a halt to the other conversations in the room.

"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen but there is another important announcement to make," Fred says dramatically making everyone giggle as they turn to watch the twins.

"The original and best trio, no offence Harry, Ron and Hermione you might the golden trio but we're the platinum, are back together for good and are about to make a fortune as Sasha officially becomes a partner in the business," George continues and then everyone is cheering and laughing and crying again. Molly is sobbing uncontrollably, Percy and Ron are worrying about what tricks the original trio are about to get up to and so the night passes in a haze of happy laughter and chatter until they all fall into bed and exhausted, contented sleeps.


End file.
